Remembering a friend and my tribute to her
It's time for ChicagoNow's monthly Blogapalooz hour. I know...I know...you're all excited about it, too. Almost Cubs World Series excitement....almost. Here's the deal...we get a topic and have an hour to write about it.
Today's topic is “What's the favorite thing you've ever written?"
Oh man, I have to pick just one? ONE!? Really? I've written 563 of these blogs plus things for other outlets and choosing just one is like choosing your favorite child. Too bad that's not the topic because I only have a few of those and that would be easier.
But, this isn't a tough as I make it sound. The timing is interesting and poignant. It was exactly one year ago today.
If you've read this blog over the last four years, you know the topics are all over the place. It started as a health and wellness blog but I write about Music, Nazi's, Homelessness, Trump and whatever comes to mind. Last year I spent a lot of time writing about Melanoma. There was a reason for that. I had a minor case of Melanoma, although I'm not sure there's such a thing. Stage one, a simple two hour surgery, some follow-ups and all done. Easy peasy!
The one great thing that came out of it was meeting my friend Donna Moncivaiz.
Donna was also a ChicagoNow blogger and wrote about her battle with Melanoma. She reached out to me and was one of my main supporters as I approached surgery. She had been through it all with Melanoma and had almost all the answers. You couldn't ask for a better advocate. You couldn't ask for a better friend.
While my case of Melanoma got better, I wish I could say the same about Donna's. We exchanged messages regularly during the Summer of 2015 and then I noticed it stopped. She kind of disappeared and I became worried. I asked a mutual friend about her and she was worried, too. Turned out we had reason to be because shortly after that we learned Donna was in Hospice care. Her Melanoma came back and there was nothing they could do for her. She died shortly after that on October 23, 2015.
I knew I was going to have to write about her and what she meant to me and countless others. What I didn't know was that it was going to take three days to write it. Usually, when I get an idea, I can piece it together and be done in a couple of hours. Not with this one. Every time I started, I had to stop. It just beat me up emotionally to do it. I had no idea it was going to do that and it took more than a couple of therapy sessions to get over the entire process.
Missing The Friend I Never Met, is the tribute I wrote to her a year ago today. It talks about our relationship and how she helped others in their fight with Melanoma. Donna was one of the most selfless people I've ever met and I hope these writings make her proud. It's said that writing is cathartic and for me, they certainly have been all of that and more.
I know the tribute I wrote for Donna isn't my best piece, but that doesn't matter, it's my favorite, at least today, because of the circumstances. A year later I still miss Donna and think about her all the time. I hope that never ends.
I also wrote a this Eulogy For A Friend about a year ago. It's also one of my favorites.