My Angel's Story
One of my best friends passed away last week. I am not writing this because I am sad or need to be consoled. Instead, I wanted to share her story so that others may be inspired by her faith in God, because that is how her spirit lives on.
Toni Alonzo passed away last week on October 4th at the age of twenty. She fought a four-year battle with cancer, but day-by-day she thanked the Lord for her life, always with a smile.
She never let her struggles bring her down, and kept fighting for her life.
She never let her sickness give her a reason to be pitied, and never pitied herself.
She never let her pain stop her from giving her 100% to others, and never asked for it in return.
She never let her fears reach her soul, and she always had faith.
Toni exemplified what it truly means to sacrifice one for others. She put everyone before herself, and consequently the Lord took her to His kingdom, just as He did Jesus.
Toni’s Bio: “2/16/11. My name is Toni Marie Alonzo. My parents are Jaime and Cathy Alonzo. I have two younger siblings, my sister Jamie and my brother Christofer Alonzo. I will be turning 20 years old on September 6th.
On July 21, 2008 I was given some horrible news that not many 16 year olds would ever hear; I had cancer. I was told that I was about to embark on a rough and difficult future. In my mind I knew that I could make it through those rough times because throughout my life, my family has taught me that God has His blessed hands on everything. The doctor gave me a diagnosis of Ewing’s Sarcoma (a malignant round cell tumor. It is a rare childhood disease in which cancer cells are found in the bone or soft tissue), but my prognosis was in God’s hands and my faith in Him, would get me through anything.
During the summer before my junior year in high school I found out that instead of attending classes, I would be attending chemotherapy and radiation sessions. Throughout that year I dealt with many highs and lows and finally, in April of 2009 I was considered cancer free. I was ready to hit the ground running and start my senior year of high school; however, cancer had a different plan for me. On November 2, 2009, well into my last year of high school, I had started to feel the same symptoms that I felt when I was first diagnosed. After being in remission for only 6 months, I was told that my illness had returned and had become twice as aggressive. During this second time I received only chemotherapy. After just 6 months of treatment, there was no sign of a tumor anymore, but I was still put through a lesser challenging medication to control my illness. On January 8th of this year, I again began to feel the same excruciating pain I did when first diagnosed. A few days after being hospitalized, I was told my cancer had come back for the third time and this time, three times as aggressive.
I’m sitting here on my hospital bed as I type this Bio and can’t help but wonder why God chose this path for me? While I may not know and fully comprehend my Heavenly Father’s plan for me, I am eternally grateful to Him for making me a daughter, a sister, a god daughter, a granddaughter, a cousin, a niece, a great niece and a friend. But most importantly I am a faith filled child of God sent here for a purpose and whatever that purpose may be; I will always have my family and friends by my side. ‘Don’t be afraid, just have faith.’ Mark 5: 36”