The Breath of Nature, Love and Loss

I have never dealt with cancer or anyone who has had cancer, and I apologize ahead of time for my lack of knowledge.
This story isn't about cancer, though. It's life, death, nature, legend and reality rolled into one. I hope you can appreciate what I have to offer, for I've never written something like this before. I always avoided things that were a challenge in writing, so this is somewhat of a test for me.