Just found out a few minutes ago that a woman I knew from a breast cancer support message board passed away from the disease this morning. Pictured here, she'd just turned 44 a few months ago and leaves behind two children.
Diagnosed Stage IV in 07, she'd been dealing with metastases to her liver, hips and brain for a while. She fought through almost constant pain, hair and weight loss plus custody battles with her ex over the children in the past year alone. Not only a woman of strong faith (her message board signature was "God is Able"), she was truly a warrior that was taken far too soon.
This effin disease BLOWS.
Although our diagnoses were different (she was triple negative and I'm ER/PR positive), we struck up a fast friendship and often posted to the newbies on the board (particularly African American women who logged on afraid and worried about their own diagnosis) about our treatment, chemo, radiation and reconstruction experiences. About a year ago, she asked me to do her a favor and send some of her posts from the board to her church family when she passed so they would know how important a life-line the board had been for her. I felt extremely honored that she'd asked me.
So, tomorrow, I'll be searching the message board for some of her most poignant posts. I'll get them together and send to her church like she asked me to. I'll send condolences to her family and friends and keep praying that someday soon, nobody will ever again have to lose a friend, mother, sister, aunt or neighbor to this devastating disease.
And on Saturday, I'll be thinking of her as I smash a few boards at a breast cancer fund raiser. REALLY feeling the need to hit something while I think about that pending cure...
Rest in peace, sweet Stephanie. God truly is able...
1 comment:
I am so sorry to hear about your friend but you are so very fortunate to have been able to create, what seems to be an amazing friendship with her.
I will keep my hopes high for a cure!
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