Ben Nikpour: Week 10- A Tribute to Beth Rothenberg

    As many of you know, I have been out of school for a couple of days due to the passing of my grandmother, Beth Rothenberg. My grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer around ten years ago. Fortunately, she beat it and had been in remission for many years until we got the unfortunate news that her cancer had returned. It wasn’t until her newest diagnosis of radiation-induced angiosarcoma, a rare complication from the first round of radiation she received to fight off her breast cancer many years ago that things turned for the worse. Unfortunately, my grandma was put through an unimaginable amount of pain and suffering over the past few months. My grandmother was my idol, but in order to pay tribute to her, I must answer the question, who was Beth Rothenberg?

    My grandmother, Beth Rothenberg, was born on June 26, 1947. She was born in Newark, New Jersey but soon moved to the neighboring town, Livingston. Growing up, she was very close with her two brothers, and she absolutely adored her mother. Family was everything to my grandma, and she was so excited to start a family of her own when she met her husband, Jeffery Rothenberg. They had three children together, Sarah, Julian, and Jessica, and ten grandchildren.

    Beth was the most selfless person I ever knew. She devoted her life to teaching, often homeless children, in Manhattan. She loved her job and thought of her students as her own children. I remember how proud she was to bring us to work with her one day and introduce my siblings and me to her students.

    I was young when my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer.  I had no clue what was going on.  She was losing her hair and she had to experience multiple visits to medical professionals for chemotherapy. My grandmother always managed to keep a smile on her face. Cancer did not define Beth Rothenberg and she made that clear to everyone she knew. She was still the same person who loved every moment of life with her family and friends.  Because my grandmother presented so strongly, I did not realize the pain she experienced and the struggles she had with cancer. Years later, when she was diagnosed a second time, I was older and I understood how much pain she experienced. My grandmother was powerful and fierce in her fight against this vicious disease. 

    My grandmother was smart and so dedicated to her family. She taught me the alphabet, and how to read, but most importantly, she taught me kindness, patience, understanding, and to love unconditionally.  My grandfather told me that when my grandmother was about five years old and waiting for the bus to start school, she saw a girl crying hysterically who appeared to be scared out of her mind to get on the school bus. Being empathetic to the situation, my grandmother, at the young age of five, whispered in the girl's ear not to cry and that she will be her friend. From a young age, my grandmother was caring and understood the importance of being kind and making people feel comfortable. My grandmother remained friends with this five-year-old girl for her entire life.

    I can go on and on about the stories of my grandmother’s life and why she was such an amazing person. My grandma really was my best friend; she was my number one supporter, and she was always there for me when I needed her. My grandma loved her family more than anything in the world and always put us first. I spent so much of my life with her, and I am going to miss her every day of my life. As the strong matriarch of our family, my grandmother’s absence will be felt, but it brings me great comfort that she is out of pain and watching us from above. 

Have you ever lost a loved one?