I write you with very sad news today... We found out on Monday that one of our friends, Ilan Blecher, passed away. At nineteen, his life was taken in a freak accident.
It's not right... Its not okay. We always hear stories about kids dying in falls and in accidents and in shoot outs etc... but we never really consider the story because it doesn't affect us at all. On Tuesday there was a picture of a boy on the front page of the Cape Argus with a headline reading: Fatal Fall: Teen's Body Found. And it struck me pretty hard to realise It wasn't a story about some kid in Cape Town I never knew before, It was a kid I knew, a kid I spent high school with.
You're pretty close with Ilan when you're 16, but you guys do drift. Your friendship groups change and you become different people... But that's okay, that happens. It's just hard to think of all the good times we shared when we were 16 and the fact that 3 years later....he would be gone.
Ilan lived for each day. He always wore the brightest and biggest smile ever. He was never one to hold a grudge and never forgot to greet when he walked past. He was passionate about life and people and their dreams. I remember a conversation we had in matric where I told him that I was going to study performing arts this year, and he seemed genuinely excited for me. Its people like him that inspire others to chase after their dreams. The world needs more people like him...
I wonder what he would have done if he had known he only had 19 years left to live... would he have done anything differently? Drop out of high school and see the world? Pursue items on a bucket list? I don't know. And that's what's hard about death. It can take you at any time, any place, any where and you just never know when it's going to be your last day on earth. It's a scary thought. I mean at 19, there's so much more I still want to achieve and do with my life. There's so many possibilities we haven't even had the chance to consider.
Ilan was taken too soon, but he lived a full life lead with happiness and just being free. And his death has affected so many lives. So many people were touched by his life and presence even if all they knew about him was that he was the guy at UCT who always greeted. Whether you knew him well or just as an acquaintance his personality and love for living life touched so many hearts it's insane. I see statuses about him, friends sharing fond memories with him and talking about what a great person he is... and that's pretty amazing... No one has anything bad to say about him, because he was a good person. One of the best.
If you died today? What will people say about you? What will they remember about you? Will it be positive or negative thoughts? Will people even think about you after you die? There are all questions that I asked myself this week... I realised it's your duty to live a life worth remembering, like Ilan's. A life worth appreciating. A life that was full, so that one day when your time comes, you can say you have no regrets.
Life is too short. Live for today. If you want something, go get it. If you love someone tell them.... you never know when you'll get a chance to do these things again. So do it now. Live for now.
Westerford Class of 2012 lost one of it's best this week.
Ilan we loved, we love you. And you're missed more than you can even imagine.
Love,
19 Year Old Nadine.
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