I've been in one of my thoughtful moods of late and factoring in that it's the
holiday season, it seems quite reasonable to me. I get quiet; I read; I listen to
music and I think about the people who have come and gone in my lifetime. I also
cry during these times, but it is a good cry.
My parents and grandparents are gone, along with one of my three brothers and both
of my sisters. Coming from a family that gave me a wealth of aunts and uncles,
it's mind-boggling to realize that only two of them are still here. My cousins,
nieces and nephews are a constant joy in my life and my children and grandchildren
are the center of everything that means anything to me.
Social media has afforded me the opportunity to reconnect with friends I haven't
seen in over 40 years and continue my relationships with those who have been a
part of my life all along. But as life would have it, I have lost a few of these
friends far too soon, including my closest friend who passed away nearly 14 months
ago.
Not a day passes that Carla isn't in my thoughts somehow, someway. Tomorrow will
mark what would have been her 59th birthday. She was two months and three days
younger than me, and she took every opportunity to remind me of that.
Over the years, I worried about Carla's health. She was wrongly diagnosed with MS
at one point, but then told me they really didn't think that's what she was
dealing with. During the final two years of Carla's life, I was aware her illness
was escalating and what exactly she was facing. She wrote me a long and detailed
email explaining it all to me and told me how it finally came about that she was
diagnosed with Sarcoidosis.
Carla waged a brave fight against this insidious disease. She had days that were
extremely painful. There were times when even her speech was affected, yet just a
few months before she passed away, on a day that she wasn't feeling her best, she
called to tell me about her son's engagement and her personal joy. She didn't
complain or whine for one moment of that conversation. In fact, after I received
her email detailing her illness, she never mentioned it to me again.
I want people to know about my best friend. I want people to understand that there
are heroes, like Carla, among us, even in angel form. She was human and made
mistakes, like all of us have, yet she lived her life courageously and never gave
up hope.
Carla inspired me to work toward a cure for this disease and I began raising
awareness about it through a group I belong to online. We have raised hundreds of
thousands of dollars for the Sarcoidosis Foundation.
http://www.stopsarcoidosis.org/
Though monetary donations are always welcomed by the Sarcoidosis Foundation, if
you cannot afford to do so, then I would ask that you take a moment and simply
click *LIKE* on the following Facebook page to bring further awareness to those
who may not have heard of this illness.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sarcoidosis-Reach-for-a-Cure/299962673213
In memory of Carla Jean Lozon.
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