Illness

I just found out that a friend is dying.

She has accepted Hospice into her home to help her with the transition.

About 12 years ago she developed breast cancer. I remember so well what she called "the fight of her life".

She had been working with us and left the company to manage her health. She reported back to us about her time in the hospital, her chemotherapy experiences, her surgeries and her new found outlook on life. She told me about a book called "Home Safe Home" that talks about the toxins in almost everything we use. She told me about her newly shaped body and how it felt after a double mastectomy. She would giggle and say her figure after reconstruction was better than it was before the surgery.

She has always had an incredibly positive outlook on everything, and is one of those people that sparkles as she walks through a room. Her glow and laugh is infectious.

After her recovery from breast cancer, she went on to continue to raise her two teenaged sons, and started a non profit that has now grown into a significant change agent and resource in our community. She never stopped, never looked back and continued to help others after she had helped herself through that illness.

The cancer came back. She has been fighting again for about a year. During the most recent fight, she received a community award for her past and continued participating in so many community organizations. She stood up and gave a speech like no other, beautifully poised, well spoken and dressed in her typical ultra-classy style. She shined... all 80 pounds of her frail, struggling body just glowed.

Our world is a better place because she is in it, and it will be a lesser place when she is gone. I will miss her. I will try to remember to think the way she thinks, to make positive change whenever possible and to smile through adversity. What a legacy.