P.S. I Love You

Holly is beautiful, smart, and married to the love of her life – passionate, funny, and impetuous Irishman Gerry (P.S. I Love You). But when Gerry dies from a brain tumor he leaves Holly facing a doubtful future. Luckily for Holly, Gerry has planned ahead and on Holly’s 30th birthday party she receives a cake and tape recording from Gerry. The message on the recorder tells Holly to go out and celebrate instead of staying in and mourning. As months go on Holly receives a series of messages with different instructions. The letters are filled with various stories and instructions, and one of them even contains a plan that sends her and her friends on a trip to Ireland (P.S. I Love You (2007)). While Holly’s mother and friends feel like she is living in the past, the truth is Gerry is guiding her to the future while proving death isn’t the end, but a new beginning (P.S. I Love You).

In this movie we find out that Gerry dies of a brain tumor but never really see him struggle with it, no symptoms or anything. Yet, brain tumors typically start with headaches that can progress in how severe they are. Other symptoms of brain tumors can be seizures, mental or personality changes, mass effect which causes the tumor to grow within the skull, and even focal or localizing symptoms (Brain Tumor Symptoms). There are many more symptoms that can determine brain tumors and even then you may not be sure if you have a brain tumor because there are sometimes no signs or symptoms, until it’s too late. The cause of primary brain tumors is unknown. This is because they are rare, there are many types, and there are many possible risk factors that could play a role. Exposure to some types of radiation, head injuries, and hormone replacement therapy may be risk factors, as well as many others (Brain Tumor - Adults). For every 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 131 are living following the diagnosis of a brain tumor. It is estimated that, during the year 2000, approximately 359,000 people in the United States were living with the diagnosis of a primary brain or central nervous system tumor. Specifically, more than 81,000 persons were living with a malignant tumor, more than 267,000 persons with a benign tumor, and more than 10,000 persons with a tumor of uncertain behavior (Facts & Statistics). The number of people with brain tumors is a surprising number and the survival rate isn’t very high. Brain tumors range in many types and are usually classified by where it’s affecting the brain to how sever it is.

As the movie goes on Holly learns what “Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened,” means. In Gerry’s final letter to Holly he lets her know that, “You can take care of yourself without any help from me. It's to tell you how much you move me. How you changed me. You made my life, Holly, but I'm just one chapter in yours. There'll be more. I promise. So here it comes, the big one. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Watch out for that signal when life as you know it ends. P.S., I will always love you (Memorable Quotes)." This last letter that Holly receives from Gerry allows her to see that it’s okay to move on from the past and that she should be afraid to love again.

Below is a trailer from the movie