Later the doctors told us that Wes went into cardiac arrest because of an enlarged heart, a rare condition with no real warning signs. It's only been a few weeks since he passed, and everything still reminds me of him—our song on the radio, the restaurant we went to for our anniversary, the turtle necklace he brought me from Hawaii. But all I can do is be grateful for the time we had. I realize that if you love someone, you should just try to be happy with them all the time. Make good memories instead of the bad ones—because no matter what happens, those are the ones you'll want to look back on.
This article was originally published as "I Watched My Boyfriend Die" in the May 2011 issue of Seventeen. Click here to subscribe to the magazine.