In Memory of Him

On Feb. 10, 2018, Griffiths’ father passed away after a long battle with cancer. She was a junior, and only sixteen years old. Throughout her father’s life, he had always been there to support her and her brother William, whether it be going to William’s football games or her own academic award ceremonies.

“I [sometimes] just break down and cry,” she said. “It’s so hard for me to accept that these monumental things in my life he won’t be able to see.”

Mr. Griffiths taught her many important life lessons that have helped her become the woman she is today, she said. He always told her that she needed to live her life to the fullest, and because of this, she has realized how short life is.

“I’m so grateful to have found friends that have gone through the same things I have,” she said. “[It helps] realizing that I’m not alone [in] this and that they are not alone either. We can lean on each other.”

Although more than a year has gone by, Griffiths continues to feel the effects of her dad’s absence.

“I’m going to be honest, I still struggle every day,” Griffiths said. “I get mad, sad, frustrated, [and] angry. It’s a whole cluster of emotions. [But I realized that] God never wastes any of our pain. He’s brought people into my life that have helped me to heal so much.”

“I can’t wait until I get to see my dad again,” she said.

More than a year later, Griffiths said that she is doing her best to live her life to the fullest, and that every day, she wakes up and wants to make her dad proud.

“I’ve never seen the vow ‘in sickness and in health until death do us part’ so beautifully displayed in my mom and dad’s marriage,” Griffiths said. “I’m really grateful for my family, [especially] my mom and my brother and the memories that we had with my dad. I’ll always have those forever.”