It taught her that she doesn’t have to limit herself.

Christmas of 2011 I went down to Florida to spend time with Michele and the rest of my family. This was a particularly special time because the year before she spent Christmas at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, FL recovering from her surgery to remove the cancer. It was a good holiday – she had come a long way. She was slowly but surely getting used to her colostomy and “Florida pouch”, completed chemo and was learning what foods she could and couldn’t eat now. The cancer was gone at that point and things were looking up.

Every time I go down we try to make some plans. I had always wanted to swim with the manatees, especially since one of their largest habitats is so close to Ocala…Crystal River, FL. They happened to have a Groupon at the time for a tour and snorkel with wild manatees in Kings Bay. I was so excited to do this! My aunt, unfortunately, couldn’t actually swim with the manatees but she wanted to take me nonetheless. I was so thankful that the Captain allowed her to join and stay on the boat to watch.

She had a great view though! I’ll admit, it was a little scary being in the water and having 7-8ft long animals weighing hundreds of pounds swim up to you. Sometimes you couldn’t see them until they were right there! On the boat though was the best view. You could see the manatees as they began to surface and help clue swimmers in to where they were.

I just found a journal article I wrote after that vacation. It was based off a conversation I must have just had with Michele. In it I wrote:

“She said she had been not wanting to go because she feels limited by her new disabilities but was so happy that I was persistent. She said it was one of the best days she’s ever had. She said that she felt like she was in the water because she was so close and loved seeing me enjoy myself. She said it taught her that she doesn’t have to limit herself.“

Michele has taught me that although you’ll never know what life will throw your way, you don’t have to let it limit you. There are always creative ways to achieve your goals, do the things you love and to live life.

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