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A gift of love
This site is a true work of love and remembrance. Love for those who have so valiantly fought Inflammatory Breast Cancer, and Love for those who have stood beside us every difficult step of the way; but most of all, it is a place of remembrance of the wonderful, strong and courageous men and women who did not win the battle here on earth, but have gone forward to become our Pathfinders.
Mon, 11 Oct 1999 Laura wrote: I'm in tears as I sit here and read through the list of those who have not survived. It hurts to see such a long list. They were fighters, and I'll go on trying to be as strong and fight as hard as they did. Laura, I understand how you feel. This was a very painful experience for me, but I considered it a labor of love. In many cases, I had to read through many posts on or about the person before I could find what I needed. This brought to life the stories of people I knew and people I did not know. As I worked, all I could think was it was like talking to these people from beyond. They continued to tell their stories and to offer their insight. There were many times I cried, and some that I laughed. I feel so close to them. In many ways, it helped strengthen my resolve to get a grip on my life and LIVE. These people did - right up until the end. So, what more can we request? It also helped reduce my fear of dying. As I witnessed the strength they, and their families displayed, well, I don't know how to express what I felt. Maybe I felt as if they were standing over my shoulder, saying, get on with it, girlfriend, acknowledge our LIVES, not our deaths. So, I don't want them to be forgotten, not a one. They do not represent a statistic for failure to me, but serve as a light that I feel now surrounds me. They are with me. They care about me, and I care about them. OK, so this may sound somewhat metaphysical. I don't know. I only know what started out as a personal curiosity turned into an experience that gave me a new sense of purpose - at a time when I needed one. So Laura, I DO understand how you feel. We fight the best we can. We accept more than we want to accept at times, and still we go on, and on, and on. Even when we are not here in body, I know that our words, our thoughts and our love will remain here for others to feel and take comfort. So, it really has been worth something after all, this experience, hasn't it? Not everyone gets the opportunity to face their own mortality and still have time to say what we think, to tell others how much we love them, or to change our lives (before it's too late). Not everyone has the chance to greet Death, look him in the eye and tell him, "Back off, Buster, I ain't ready yet!!!" I ain't ready yet, Laura, and neither are you!!! God bless you for being there for me during the past 2 1/2 years! To our newbies and oldies.... Even after 2 1/2 years, I forget that our archives hold the stories of hundreds of people. By going to the search page and entering the name or email ID of someone for whom you are interested, you can access all their posts. It pretty much tracks our ups and downs. Also, you can check archives by chronological order (date, all the way back to when Pete and Menya first started tracking them or a general topic). If the name, date or topic appears in a post, it can be accessed. As I worked on the Memorium list, which will continue to be a work in progress, it became like solving a puzzle. Little bits and pieces fell into place, and suddenly I could see the person as a whole. If you have time, browse through and see what else is available, besides our online support. Pete and Menya, again and again, I thank you, for EVERY single day you have given to this site and for touching the lives of each of us, plus the countless others with whom we have shared our feelings. God Bless you. Jackie
It must have been cold there in my shadow,
So I was the one with all the glory,
Did you ever know that you're my hero,
It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
Did you ever know that you're my hero?
Did I ever tell you you're my hero?
Oh, the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
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