The Girl Next Door, post #2

           I can't completely personally connect to Sam in this book. Someone she really cares about is dying of cancer, and i've thankfully never in my family had someone close die from it. Although, I have had close friends lose members of their family to cancer, and it's a horrible thing. I've seen how strong they had to be through the whole process and how much it hurt them. I can picture how Sam must feel about Jesse losing the battle of cancer. I've seen people lose and also win the fight of cancer. For the past two years i've done Relay For Life with the American Cancer Society to help raise awareness and the fight for a cure. Even though noone in my close family has been effected by it, i've seen so many other people fight it. Sam doesn't completely understand how serious Jesse's condition is. All she has is hope for him.
          I'm not yet sure whether Jesse fights the cancer or unfortunately loses his life. All I know is Sam is really wishing the best, which any person would do for someone they love. It's very unfortunate that people everyday have to struggle with such a horrible disease. I honestly don't know how I would be able to handle someone I love so much fighting for their life like this. The book is emotionally hard to read because you can feel alot of the pain through the pages as you read. Jesse is only in high school, he shouldn't have to be dying so young before he even gets a chance to really experience life. He hasn't even lived yet, and he's already dying. It's something that I would never want to personally connect to, it would be far too heart breaking.

The Girl Next Door

          Sam is falling in love. That's something that people long to do at one point or another. Problem? She's falling in love with her best friend Jesse who is being treated for cancer. Jesse had it all; he was the star of the baseball team, all the girls liked him, class president, and everyone knew his name. Now he only is told to have 7 months left to live. Sam stays over there most nights, but his mother isn't approving of it lately. Jesse swears to his mother there is nothing going on and they are just friends because he doesn't know how Sam really feels about him. Maybe she's just scared that the feelings won't be returned, or maybe she's scared because she knows how little of time they have anyways. She doesn't want to admit he's dying, but he's becoming more accepting of his short time left. He's fighting, but there isn't much more he can do.

          It leaves you wondering what it would take to make Sam tell Jesse before it's too late. If she really loves him, wouldn't she want him to know? Or would it just hurt to much to let him know with such short time left? They've been friends since they were 2, and have always been neighbors. Maybe she's just afraid that if she tells him and the love is unreturned, it will crush her always. I feel like she should open her eyes and realize this before it's too late. I think that i'd rather know if he feels the same way, then live the rest of my life never knowing the truth.
         
          "And I've been up for days, I finally lost my mind and then I lost my way. I'm blistered but I'm better and I'm home. And I will crawl, theres things that aren't worth giving up I know. But I won't let this get me I will fight.You live the life you're given with the storms outside somedays all I do is watch the sky."

          I chose this quote because I think it reflects both Jesse and Sam. He's stuck in his bed all day, just left to think about life with the time he has left, he's still fighting this cancer everyday. It also reflects Sam because she's not giving up. She really believes that he will get better and that he won't die. She doesn't want to believe that he only has 7 months of life left and she will fight right along with him through all the struggles they are about to overcome.