People always say that a first impression is the most important impression. But seeing as how we were in diapers and couldn’t speak, I have no first impression of Jill. What people don’t think about is the last memory you will ever have with a person, the last impression. On Aug 5th this summer Jill and I hung out for the last time. I was at her house and we were making dinner for us and her parents. She wasn’t feeling to well so after dinner she went to lie down. I was about to leave and her mom came down and told me Jill was asking for me. So I went upstairs and we just sat in her bed and talked. The last conversation Jill and I ever had was about helping others with cancer, like herself. The next day she was planning on shaving her head and I told her that I would do it too if it made her feel better. That got us talking about better ways to help people who were going through chemotherapy. Even though shaving my head would make her feel better it really wouldn’t help anyone else. For Jill if something didn’t help anyone else she didn’t want to do it. So, we threw out some ideas of how we could fundraise money by doing a hair or blood drive. We got excited, even thinking about getting SIFE involved as well as Children’s Hospital. When I left that day I didn’t think that Jill would never be able to help out with such a project.
The week after Jill passed away I was going through her computer helping clean out files. I stumbled upon a file called: Inspiration. It was a MSN conversation that we had back in the summer of 2008. The first line that Jill said was : “so I want to start a foundation to make teens feel normal when going through chemo”. I continued to read our conversation and all of our ideas about her dream. We talked small scale to big scale ideas to just make sick teens feel like everyday teens whether it be through a day at the spa or buying that one pair of expensive jeans.
Jill’s dream was to help others. Even when she was sick herself and could have just slept all day she thought of others. Although faced with a horrible disease she tried to do as much as possible, acting like a normal twenty year old.
Many of you were lucky enough to of had Jill in your life. But, some of you did not even know her. The fact that this project has caught your attention and you want to help must mean something. Jill, as well as her lifetime story, has inspired many people in many ways. Whether your challenge is something personal or something even bigger you will be making a difference. I know for a fact Jill would be so proud of all of you for being a part of something she would have loved to do.
Every day without Jill doesn’t feel right. As expected some days are easier than others. A year ago today we were in Mexico, sipping on drinks and soaking up the sun. You never know when you life is going to change. So do what Jill did. Live your life to the fullest. Let your impression that lasts be a great one that no one will forget.
Go Jill Go. No words describe how much I miss you.
xoxo
Tasia
