Nawwal with her best friend, Alyse

Nawwal, class of 2012
Western Oregon University

When I was in third grade, I met Alyse. We instantly became friends, and by high school her house was my second home, and her family was my family. When we were seniors in high school, Alyse was diagnosed with ovarian cancer right after she had turned 17. I had made the decision to go to the east coast for college, but after one semester I transferred home to be closer and a better support for Alyse, who had been re-diagnosed. On December 4th, 2009 after a two and a half year battle with the illness, Alyse lost her battle. I remember the night of December 3rd, I had been studying for finals feeling like something just wasn’t right. The next morning, Alyse died. I had lost my best friend just two days before I had to return to WOU for finals, which is one of the hardest things I have ever done. I finished finals in a daze I still don’t like to remember, and returned to school for winter term exactly one month after she died.

The term Alyse died was only my second term at Western, and although I had found many friends, those relationships weren’t enough. That same term, I happened to be taking Developmental Psychology with Dr. Tamina Toray, where the two leaders of the WOU students of AMF chapter came to inform our class about the group, and that was the day I realized I wasn’t alone. I have since become involved with the chapter as a group leader, and can say that being a part of this group has helped me tremendously in avoiding the dark path that I felt I was headed down. Having the support from the original chapter leaders of AMF at WOU in and out of weekly meetings has been a driving force for wanting to help other students who are grieving.

Members of the WOU staff and faculty know we are here, and I am proud to be a part of a group that sheds a little bit of hope on students who felt just like I once did. Just a few days ago a professor came to me seeking information about AMF meetings for a student who had just lost their mother. I gave the information regarding our chapter meetings, contact information and the same message I have received from being involved with AMF: to hang in there.