It's with a heavy, heavy heart that I write this post. In June 2010, our small group leader's mother was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. It looked dismal at that time, but they took her to specialists and naturalists and we prayed our rear ends off for Trish. As a result, we were blessed with another 16 months with dear, Trish.
I found out on Saturday that when she was given the diagnosis in June, it was stage 4. Stage 4 and she lived as long as she did.
This woman was amazing. It was so neat to watch her journey with God during her battle with cancer. Her faith became so great and she was at peace with her cancer and her outcome. In June of 2011, when we were baptized, Trish was baptized along with us. This woman had the biggest smile imaginable and had the biggest heart.
It was sad to see her in pain because of the cancer. In August, the cancer hit her hard. She had to have surgery and due to the pancreas and other organs shutting down, she turned a yellowish-green color, but her spirit was always bright and sunny, despite how she looked physically.
I was fortunate enough to see her one last time on Wednesday and wish I would've known it would've been the last time I saw her. I have no regrets, but I would've hugged her a little longer or simply told her I loved her!
What breaks my heart the most is our friend's kids. Trish was a daily person in their lives and they are, obviously, broken-hearted. They loved Trish more than words can describe. I pray that God is with them and they can deal with the loss of their loving grandma. Trish loved those kids more than life itself, and it radiated off of her every time she was around them.
I know Trish is heaven right now, happy and healthy and all of us who knew her and loved her have an angel looking down. I know one day we will all see her and she will greet us with her beautiful smile with her arms open wide welcoming us home. But, life's not going to be the same here without her. She was loved by all who met her and faith story with God through all of this inspired me.
She wasn't afraid of death, she didn't want to die and she gave it all she had, but she knew that dying was going home. That she would finally be at peace, with no pain and wrapped in the loving arms of Jesus.
Trish, I will always love you and your presence in my life has made me a better person. You will be missed by all, but mostly by your grandchildren. I pray that Jacob, Caleb, Callie and Luke will be able to deal with the pain of loosing you in a healthy way. I pray that God will give us, the adults in their lives, the wisdom to know how to deal with this with them to make this as easy for them as possible. I am sad you are no longer with us, but I have a joy that can't be explained because our prayers were answered- you are no longer in pain and you are home with Jesus. Thank you for all you have done for everyone whose life you touched. I love you and can't wait to see you in heaven.
Love you always,
Michelle
4 comments:
I'm so sorry. It sounds like she really made a difference in your life and others while she was here.
What a beautiful tribute. She sounds like an amazing woman.
So sorry for your loss!
I'm so sorry for the loss of your friend, Michelle. You've written a beautiful tribute to her here, and it speaks volumes about her faith, her testimony, and her legacy. How wonderful that the Lord allowed your paths to cross, as I'm sure you were a blessing to her, too.
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