My friend Laurie is just the sweetest and happiest person I have ever known. She is one of the strongest people I have known. The kind of girl who could run five miles without breaking a sweat or backpack 120 miles in the mountains (which she did three times with my brother on group trips). The kind of girl any parent would trust to watch her kids. Just the absolute picture of health and happiness, with the whole world ahead of her. The kind of woman who had the energy I had when I was ten. Just a woman who enjoys life, the kind of person you love to be around.
And then in February she couldn't eat anything without throwing it up, and was eventually diagnosed with gastroparesis. Everyone was shocked. I had never even heard of this disease and as I researched it things got so scary to read. It seems like no one knows anything about this disease or what to do to stop it. There were a few months initially where she was losing so much weight and everyone was frightened, but then she bounced back very strong, put on a good 20-30 pounds and looked great again and we were so excited that she was beating it. Everytime I'd see her or her parents, who are also good friends, we'd talk about the meatball subs she loved from Subway (though she couldn't eat the bread) or the refried beans she loved when we'd always meet up to eat Mexican food on Thursdays. Every Thursday she'd give me some good-natured ribbing about bringing math and physics books to the table and tell me I really needed to start watching the Big Bang Theory, which she was a huge fan of. And she was right; when I started watching it I instantly became a really big fan too.
Laurie began to take a bad turn a few weeks ago, and passed this morning. I'm heartbroken to lose such a beam of sunshine who I looked forward to seeing every Thursday evening. She was only 21 years old. Always ate right, always excercised, never touched tobacco, alcohol, nor drugs, always had such a positive and happy attitude. I just can't imagine what it's like for her parents, for her brothers. I didn't have any idea what to say when I hugged them today, and I don't think my father nor my brother did either (they were really close; my dad called her the daughter he never had). Aside from the personal loss, this is the woman the world needs more of. Sweet, funny, hardworking, smart, volunteered for her church... I mean she was the kind of person we should all strive to be. I wish I was as good a person as her. I don't know why the good have to die young.
RIP Laurie
At least Laurie had a really good Christmas eve and Christmas with her family. I can't believe I'm never going to see her at our table on Thursday nights anymore.