I needed to share about my amazing girlfriend who passed away yesterday. Jill was 34 and the mother of 2 beautiful girls, almost 2 and 5. Her husband is a wonderful man who loved her the way everyone wishes their partner would. Jill was diagnosed a year ago with breast cancer and decided to try natural and hollistic healing. She left our city with her family in January to move to Hawaii and continue her treatments. She was a raw foodist and was fasting to try and heal the cancer. I talked to her in March just before I had my twins. If she'd still lived here I had planned on having her at my homebirth, but I felt that she was there in spirit anyway. We didn't talk after the girls were born because she was getting weaker by the day. In June they went to Mexico to a last hope hospital and found that she had pnemonia (sp.) After a week there the tests revealed that the cancer had spread to more places than her breast. The only chance of survival was transporting to San Diego for emergency chemo. At the time, we were told that she probably wouldn't make it throught the first dose, but she did and she made it through many more doses. Her spirit wasn't ready to go yet.
She left the hospital earlier this week and walked on a plane to New Orleans so she could be in her home town with her family. We all thought she was doing great and had miraculously recovered. When they got to New Orleans, she checked into the hospital and started having trouble breathing. Turns out that the couple of days without treatment had allowed the cancer to spread. She went on life support, but asked on Saturday to be taken off. She was able to say goodbye to her family and her daughters and died gracefully and with dignity in her husband's arms.
My friend was a Bradley teacher, she was vegan, and she had her second daughter at home unassisted less than 2 years ago. She was so strong and brave and stuck by what she believed. Jill is such an inspiration to me and so many other women. I miss her so very, very much. I wanted to share her story here where I know there are so many other strong women just like her. She was one of my sisters and even though I'm feeling an array of emotions, the reality of her death has not set in.
One of her final wishes was that her husband bring her children to her friends so that they can know their sweet mama through all of us. We each have amazing tales of her courage and strength and friendship.
Thank you for reading this and thinking of my friends as we grieve for our sister and especially her family who is hurting so much tonight and missing their Jill.
She left the hospital earlier this week and walked on a plane to New Orleans so she could be in her home town with her family. We all thought she was doing great and had miraculously recovered. When they got to New Orleans, she checked into the hospital and started having trouble breathing. Turns out that the couple of days without treatment had allowed the cancer to spread. She went on life support, but asked on Saturday to be taken off. She was able to say goodbye to her family and her daughters and died gracefully and with dignity in her husband's arms.
My friend was a Bradley teacher, she was vegan, and she had her second daughter at home unassisted less than 2 years ago. She was so strong and brave and stuck by what she believed. Jill is such an inspiration to me and so many other women. I miss her so very, very much. I wanted to share her story here where I know there are so many other strong women just like her. She was one of my sisters and even though I'm feeling an array of emotions, the reality of her death has not set in.
One of her final wishes was that her husband bring her children to her friends so that they can know their sweet mama through all of us. We each have amazing tales of her courage and strength and friendship.
Thank you for reading this and thinking of my friends as we grieve for our sister and especially her family who is hurting so much tonight and missing their Jill.
