A Sad Goodbye

Picture above is Susy and Tiffany at the Sweet Melissa Fundraiser in November, 2007


Hi Friends,

My new plan for 2008 was to post multiple times over the weekend and let myself off of the mental hook during the week.

My life is getting busier and busier by the day. It's all very exciting but I just don't have the time for posting Mon-Fri. But that's not the point of today's post.

The point is that I am taking this weekend off from pretty much everything (including blogging) to mourn a dear friend who passed away yesterday.

Susy was my "double double sister." She and I had our second transplant a month a part. We shared a similar medical history and an even more similar sarcastic sense of humor. More often than not, we pointed our sarcastic tongues in the direction of all the stupid medical crap we had/have to go through. We laughed through even the crappiest of it and, underneath, I had a deep sense of satisfaction knowing how much we were not alone as long as we had each other.

Susy left her body yesterday after dealing with stupid chronic rejection for about a year. I am so honored to have been to see her the night before she died. I am so thankful for all the time I was able to spend with her and her family during this last month.

Susy taught me a lot about that line between fight and surrender. I'll admit, sometimes I thought she was crazy (and she knew it) because she just never slowed down. Instead of quitting work and becoming a permanent fixture on the couch, she not only continued working but also entered graduate school! She worked and went to school through the end of last year. She didn't stop until the semester ended--and she got all A's.

Susy has opened my eyes to a new way to live with end stage illness. I'm sure someday, I will take what she has taught me and apply it to my own end stage illness.

Susy was a smart, passionate, funny, beautiful, compassionate person who reached out to so many people in profound ways. She has so many friends that it was impossible for me to keep track of them all. She was a special one.

To my double double sister, my other pea in the pod, my sarcasm twin...my friend. I miss you. My only solace is that you are no longer struggling for breath. My greatest comfort is knowing you have now found peace.

I love you, Suze.