As usual, I went to the hospital after college. My major was Psychology. I went to the hospital every day since volunteered there. The 6th floor of the hospital was filled with youngsters because it was the children's oncology department. The majority of patients were aged 11 to 16. So, many of them understood why they were there, they were still cheerful and having fun despite their illness. I had two tasks:1.Engage in activities. Working with child life specialists to support play activities and supervise children 2.Patient care. Engaging with patients and siblings of all ages, providing opportunity for age-appropriate play and socialization. I like my job since I saw a lot of patients improve day by day, and some of them returned to their families completely healthy. But in November 2023, Aliya, a 15-year-old girl, died. She was the first patient I dealt with, and she was also my first patient to die. I began volunteering in March of 2021, and Aliya was already there. She was diagnosed in January 2021. At the time, she was thirteen. When I initially met her, she was depressed and refused to talk, or do anything. She kept everything to herself. I had a difficult time getting to know her until I took her to the hospital's roof. I read a lot of books and conducted research before establishing any interaction with Aliya. We were on the roof and the weather was lovely. I said "Do you know that you can die if you jump from there?". She stared at me with a confused face. "People will try to survive when they feel any threat to their lives, and they don't try to help themselves when they don't want to live, and now, I want to know, do you want to live or not ??" I said that and moved closer to her. She stepped back till her back met the hospital entrance wall. I smiled and, "Look, you still want to live." She wanted to say anything, but I was quick to say, "Don't refuse it. If you didn't want to live, you wouldn't take those steps back and stay right in front of me." She took a deep breath and, "I'm just scared" in a low tone. "From what?" I asked. "I'm scared to die, and I'm even scared to live," she answered, crying out her lungs. I just hugged her while she cried in my arms. We sat on the roof for an hour, looking at the sky. Then I went into her room. She said nothing until I gave her a sheet of paper containing names and information about those names. "Who are they, and why did you give it to me?" She questioned me. "Just read, and we'll talk tomorrow because I have to leave now," I said, exiting the room. The leaflet I gave Aliya had information about children who had the same diagnosis as hers and were all cancer-free after therapy. We became friends from that day forward, and she always accompanied and helped me when I visited other patients. Aliya and I had helped many children and witnessed how they recovered from cancer and returned to their homes throuhgout two years. It gave us hope that she could also overcome her sickness. Unfortunately, she was unable to make it. Her final words were, "Thank you for giving me a life filled with hope and happiness. If you hadn't been with me, I'd have died earlier. And, most importantly, Dakko (a nickname she gave me), I am no longer terrified. Thank you..” After her death, I felt as if half of myself was gone. Perhaps she was my first patient, or she was the first patient I lost. It took me around 6 months to return my normal life after Aliya. She taught me a lot of life lessons, that's why I am writing this. I'd like to share the top 3 lessons I learned from her. 1. Being optimistic about life. Even when she knew there was no chance for her, she remained joyful and happy. She spread happiness and love to everyone. 2.Being brave. After our roof chat, she was never ashamed or afraid to show her real emotions and feelings. She was open about her feelings. 3. Being grateful Despite having acute lymphocytic leukemia, she was always grateful to God for the ability to see, walk, eat, and write independently. Maybe after reading this, you'll say, "Well, I know about these 3 lessons, and I've been waiting for something new," but 1st think about yourself and your life. Are you brave enough to express and show your real feelings? Are you grateful for the abilities you have? Are you truly passionate and hopeful about life? Can you inspire and motivate others to live as Aliya did? Think about these questions carefully and deeply. Answer them honestly. If your answer is "yes," I am happy for you; if your answer is "no," I hope my story might help you. Live your life, be cheerful, and spread joy and hope to others because life is short to be gloomy and angry at others or yourself. Look around and try to find enjoyment in small, unnoticed things like a baby's grin or the sun's rays. To put it another way, the was is ongoing in Gaza and Ukraine, but you are in a peaceful place with access to basic essentials. Be grateful. #writingcontest