Interview by Peni Jo Renner

 I am sharing an interview I had with author Peni Jo Renner. Here is the link to that interview:

https://authorpenijorenner.wordpress.com/2025/03/02/meet-author-patty-apostolides/

Loss of My Sister

There are times in one's life when losses happen, and no one is immune to them. At some point, we will either lose a family member, a friend, a pet, one's health, or even a dream.  At the beginning of April 2025, I lost my dear sister Irene (we called her Rena), who had been battling cancer for over 15 years. 

She was my older sister. The girl I used to run to and from elementary school with, chugging up and down that long hill, intent on being the first to arrive, but she was always the first. And when little black kids were chasing us home and trying to beat us up, we ran even faster. She protected me, fighting back and knowing what to say while I was tongue-tied. She ran faster than I, and by the time we reached middle school, the family had moved to another neighborhood. There, my sister and I joined the Junior Olympics. We sprinted in the dashes and relays. We had put our running to good use.

As the years went by, Rena began to drive, then went to cosmetology school, got her license, and worked at a beauty salon. At an early age, just out of high school, she married John and moved away. The piano they found in the house they bought ended up in my parents' living room, where I taught myself to play piano. It was the best gift she could give me. 

Their family grew, and with three young boys, they decided to move to Greece, to Lipsi island where my parents and her husband came from. There, they made a life of it. She formed a travel agency, and he managed tour boats that went to nearby islands. Her sons grew up to be tall and strong.

The years passed by. We visited them and they visited us. Their sons married and moved away.

In 2009, she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and even after treatment, it progressed to stage 4, then it metastasized to the kidney, and she lost one of them. Each year, she would faithfully get her tests done, take her chemotherapy, dance, grow her gardens, laugh, and joyfully greet the tourists on the island. She would help with the olive picking in the fall. She lived her life to the fullest. She was loved by many.

But God had other plans.

Rest in Peace, dearest sister. Know that I love you and miss you dearly.