Coffee and Chemo

My friend RivkA died on Friday. She was only 44 years old. She died of cancer. A lot of people die of cancer, but what was really special about RivkA is about how she lived with cancer.

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RivkA had a very interesting way of dealing with her illness. She would set up chemotherapy dates with her friends. I know that sounds really strange, but she was even able to take a negative like chemotherapy and turn it into something fun. She would enlist friends to join her for a day of shmoozing at her weekly chemo sessions. It was a great way for her to catch up with friends. It’s so true that our lives are so busy that we just don’t make time for the people that are important to us.

It’s unfortunate that it sometimes takes something like cancer for us to make the time. I know that there are a ton of things that I push off until tomorrow or later or indefinitely. I hope that I can learn from RivkA to do things right away. That there is no time like now.

These dates are the source for the title of her blog, Coffee and Chemo, which went way beyond being a blog about cancer. Instead it was a blog about being a person. RivkA didn’t let the cancer rule her life. It’s not that she didn’t do everything medically possible to treat herself, it’s just that it wasn’t the focus of her life. What was important to her was to be a mom, a daughter, and a wife and to help others with their battles as well.

With this whole vegan thing, I’ve been trying to figure out what kind of person I want to be. What do I want my legacy to be? How do I want to leave the world after I’m gone? What contributions do I want to make to be an inspiration for others to follow?

RivkA, it’s hard to believe that you’re really gone. Everyone you touched is lucky. We will all miss you.