I am sure by now all the Gannon students and faculty checked their email and saw that another student, Mohammed Albogami, has passed away. I did not know him, but that doesn’t mean the situation doesn’t have an effect on me or other people.
Death is something most people aren’t good at dealing with. I know I’m not. It’s hard, sad and permanent.
When my grandfather died, it affected me in a way that I didn’t know was possible. The way I viewed my family and life suddenly changed. He was very sick for a few years before he passed but that didn’t soften the pain like I thought it would. People always said that it would be easier because we knew it was coming. Maybe in some ways, that was. We had the opportunity to cherish last moments, knowing that they would be the last. But we never got to say the final goodbye.
Death without the warning and lead-up only makes it harder. Suddenly, never being able to talk to someone again becomes completely definite. Not talking to someone very often won’t always bother a person until the option to talk to them is taken away forever.
This is why I think people get so upset when a person passes away. Not being able to talk to that person anymore, regardless of how close you are, is heartbreaking.
Mohammed Albogami’s passing made my friends and I stop and talk about all the people that we have known who died too early.
We went to McDowell High School and for those who don’t know, McDowell is a huge school. My graduating class had well over 600 students.
By the time I graduated I already had classmates die as a reult of different types of accidents and illnesses. The effect is always the same and leaves too many people heartbroken.
Although I never met Mohammed Albogami, I still think about those who did. Those are the people who are suffering. His family back home will be forever missing him and his friends here have lost someone close to them.
Recently someone I go to church with passed away and she left three sons behind. I think she was in her 30s. All I can think about is how those kids must feel. Imagine your mother suddenly being taken from you – never being able to talk to her again, never being able to give you advice or watch you walk down the aisle on your wedding day.
Those are the types of things that make me choke up. I am fortunate to have both of my parents and the thought of ever losing them kills me. Just thinking about it makes me want to cry.
I hate that someone too young has to die. I don’t see why this has to happen. Does there even have to be a reason? We can only hope that God has a reason and a plan for everything.
KAT SHINDLEDECKER
