love love love
I have spent the better part of an evening reading the amazing story of a beautiful young woman named Eva Markvoort. Eva was 25 years old, compassionate, beautiful, talented, and inspiring to those who knew her (and those who didn't, me included). She died of Cystic Fybrosis on March 27th, 2010.
Eva was an LJer and kept an incredible blog detailing both the heartbreak of her condition and the fullness of her life called 65redroses, which refers to the CF foundation "65 Roses" (what little kids who can't pronounce their disease call it). I must warn you that if you click, it's both hard to read and hard to stop reading. Eva started her blog to reach out to others with CF, since patients are encouraged not to spend time together physically because infections transfer so fast. Eventually, she opened it up to everyone, and acquired an international following. She also particpated in the documentary "65 Red Roses," which followed her as she waited to get her double lung transplant.
Rather than tell you anymore, I think you should read about her for yourself. She continued her blog to raise awareness, to let others into her life, and nothing I could ever write would compare to hearing all about it straight from her.
I know (and have known) people with CF. It is an unimaginably awful disease, but Eva and others like her show me the real meaning of strength: the kind of strength it takes to just wake up in the morning, to laugh with your friends when there's a death sentence hanging over your head, to love and love and love and love when you have every reason to hate and rage and despair, to simply breathe in--and keep breathing, breathing, breathing. Those of us who are healthy take so much for granted. Stories like this remind me both of how lucky I am, and of how much love and strength and beauty is out there.
"a mark on the world
a difference
some proof that i had been here
something to say that i mattered
that when my body left this world my soul had made its imprint
...i love you
i love all of you.
i love all all of you.
so that when i open my eyes in the morning it is a new gift each day and i am lucky enough to open my eyes and proclaim it again anew.... i love you!
......and i do."
- eva markvoort
Eva was an LJer and kept an incredible blog detailing both the heartbreak of her condition and the fullness of her life called 65redroses, which refers to the CF foundation "65 Roses" (what little kids who can't pronounce their disease call it). I must warn you that if you click, it's both hard to read and hard to stop reading. Eva started her blog to reach out to others with CF, since patients are encouraged not to spend time together physically because infections transfer so fast. Eventually, she opened it up to everyone, and acquired an international following. She also particpated in the documentary "65 Red Roses," which followed her as she waited to get her double lung transplant.
Rather than tell you anymore, I think you should read about her for yourself. She continued her blog to raise awareness, to let others into her life, and nothing I could ever write would compare to hearing all about it straight from her.
I know (and have known) people with CF. It is an unimaginably awful disease, but Eva and others like her show me the real meaning of strength: the kind of strength it takes to just wake up in the morning, to laugh with your friends when there's a death sentence hanging over your head, to love and love and love and love when you have every reason to hate and rage and despair, to simply breathe in--and keep breathing, breathing, breathing. Those of us who are healthy take so much for granted. Stories like this remind me both of how lucky I am, and of how much love and strength and beauty is out there.
"a mark on the world
a difference
some proof that i had been here
something to say that i mattered
that when my body left this world my soul had made its imprint
...i love you
i love all of you.
i love all all of you.
so that when i open my eyes in the morning it is a new gift each day and i am lucky enough to open my eyes and proclaim it again anew.... i love you!
......and i do."
- eva markvoort