Remembering Cathy


  I met Cathy when I was in the 7th grade. We were in music class when I first saw her. She walked with crutches and only had one leg. I wondered if she was going to be in our class. It turned out she was.

   At first she did not talk much to anyone. I was still shy so I just wondered what kind of person she was. I found out after awhile that she was just insecure like I was when I first came to Japhet. She was smart and a bright student. All the teachers liked her, but some of the students thought she was a bit arrogant. As she began to know some of us better she realized that we had pretty good brains also. She like me for I was one of the A students even thought I did not speak. She would talk to me and she would joke around and make me laugh. I began to feel comfortable with Cathy as we got to know each other better. We became inseperatable.

   Janie and Cathy and I would sit together at lunch. We did many things together. Cathy was always cheerful and would never really get angry. Her cancer was in submission, although back then, I did not think she had Cancer anymore. I knew the Cancer had taken one of her legs, but one day she got ill and was hospitalized for awhile. The Cancer had returned and was in her lungs. They removed part of one lung, but she began to get strong again. She was having chemo therapy so she lost most of her hair. So she began wearing a wig again and after awhile her hair grew back and she was doing good.

   We had some great times together. I stayed over at her house once and we went to a "Three Dog Night Concert."  We spent days talking on the phone and we helped each other study for test. I was still a bit shy with her but began to talk to her more and realized that she did not care how I sounded nor did not laugh at me. She was a great person and friend. I thought we would be friends even after graduation. Never in all my dreams did I think that Cancer would take her at such a young age.

   Cathy was able to go to a Regular high school, so she left Japhet during the 11th grade. I was so sad, but we still tried to keep in contact with each other. We wrote letter and talked on the phone. Wow, no emails back then. I missed her at school for it was not the same without her there. Cathy died one week before the Prom, that she was excited about going to. She had a date and her mom had bought a beautiful dress just for the occassion.

   She died 2 weeks before her graduation on May 18, 1977. I was not able to attend her funeral, but I heard that it was filled with many students from Burbank high school. She was buried in the lovely prom dress her mom had bought for her.

   I did attented the graduation ceremony that was dedicated in memory of her. Her mother and father accepted her diploma on her behalf.

I sat there with tears in my eyes and a numbness in my heart. I was going to miss Cathy, always!