One of the most influential people in my life would have to be my sister Ana Marie Quinones. Ana was not only a sister to me. She was my mentor,And my role model and also my second mother.She was the one person in my life I knew I could always count on,matter what happened.
Ana was born on July 21,1979. She was the first born child in are family. After her birth the Doctor told my mother that Ana had a hole in her heart. She was given minimal chance at an easy life. She was also diagnosed with chronic asthma.Both My father and I have this same medical complication,as well as Ana. As she grew the asthma problem only got worse and well into her life it still made life complicated for her.But my mother knew that even given the circumstances, Ana could have a regular childhood and she was determined to make sure that she did. As a child, Ana took on a lot of responsibilities that most kids her age wouldn't have been able to. Because of a back problem my mother developed after the birth of our sister Christy,Ana was left with the responsibility of caring for me and my siblings. it was at this point that Ana became our second mother. she always cared for us when my mother was sick or couldn't do it herself. Ana was more of our disciplinary mother; she kept us in line and we all respected her. it was also around this time that she became my mentor. Ana always helped me with my homework i thought she was so smart and wanted to become like her. She always knew how to solve a problem i had and was always helping her friends out with theirs .Even as she became an adult and graduated from high school,she was still helping me out.even if she had her own problems to deal with, she was there for everyone.As and adult Ana took on more responsibilities. she juggled work and school and a steady boyfriend. she loved her job and was always punctual and would not leave early,even if she was having trouble breathing. she also got her bachelor and then her associate degree within less then a few years. then she moved out with my sister rosemary. she called my mom everyday thought. she always made time for family. she also made time to help me when i needed it. one time i went for an interview for Marist college's summer program and was asked to describe the one person in my life who i looked up to the most. as i sat there talking to the interviewer with Ana by my side , i found myself describing Ana as the one person i looked up to the most she was so proud she loved me more than i knew and she was so happy that i looked up to her as much as i did . i believe that is why she did everything she could to help me before she passed away, then came the last six months of Ana's life. she knew her death was coming but none of us knew. we all wondered why she was planning Christmas so early. then around Halloween she came down with a illness. i sat up the entire Halloween night ,staring at the moon and wondering if she was going to be all right. then i went to visit her at the hospital one night after work. she was told that she had low oxygen and was to be put on an oxygen tank all the time. Ana never let this stop her. she vowed that she would lose weight and become healthy, in order to over come her illness. unfortunately she didn't get that chance, a few weeks later i went to visit her house and noticed that she had a lot of trouble breathing. i informed my mom of this and we soon had Ana sent to the hospital. unfortunately this would be the last time i would ever see her.again. i was woke up that morning and told that my sister had passed away. i was so in shock I wasn't ale to speak. it was like the air from my lungs was being sucked out. then i started to fell the intense sorrow. that is when i really came out of the shock and began to realize the full aspect of what was happening. In the long run though, after almost two years without her, i realize one thing : not only did i lose a sister but i lost a mother,i lost a friend,and i lost my mentor now almost two years after her death i realize how much my sister accomplished in her life i am glad that severe suffering my sister endured is now over and that she is in a better place. i can now say with great honesty that my sister my have lived a short life, but she accomplished more things in the twenty five years she lived, than most people can say they have in done in their lives.
