Soldiers of life

We all need to acknowledge the heroes living among us and appreciate their efforts and strengths.

I was at work when my sister broke the news that my aunt had been diagnosed with lung cancer. This news left my entire family in shock. We decided to meet immediately to fast and pray together for her health.

That day, we felt the amazing grace of God and His presence in our lives as each and every member of the family bowed down in prayer for my aunt.

As the days passed, I visited her regularly and talked to her for hours. These frequent visits have brought us closer and I now realise that I had never given her the time she deserved. I found in her a wonderful and inspiring person, so much so that I decided to write about her.

My aunt, Mrs Pauline Benjamin, has been fighting this deadly disease for a long time. The journey started in the year 2000; she went through six chemotherapies and 21 days of radiotherapy treatment that enabled her to recover before the disease struck again 12 years later.

Throughout her life, she has proved to be a sincere wife and a loving mother of four. In all the troubled times she has faced, she always looked towards God. She was honest and sincere to her profession and was appointed the nursing instructor at the Tabba Heart Institute. On May 12, during the International Nurses Day celebrations, she was presented with the lifetime achievement award, which was introduced for the first time in the history of the Tabba Institute.

This award was given to her for her outstanding contributions and rewarded her for the extra efforts that she had always put into her work.

The Tabba Institute should be appreciated for rewarding its employees for their hard work. This is what we all need to practice in our lives: acknowledge the heroes living among us and appreciate their efforts and strengths. Also, we must try to spend time with our elders and learn about their stories and lives. Many of these elderly people are heroes but live a lonely existence.

“I led the life of a soldier,” says my aunt.

Today, she is still battling death and is a great source of hope to her family.

Read  more by Lovita here.