SO She's Gone...What do we do now!?!

May of us are asking ourselves this question even as we mourn this lovely young woman who passed away last Thursday at the age of 29 from Breast Cancer. Oh we know the answer to the question...we will keep doing what we are doing...even if it seems at times as though the work we do...the work that she did... is painstakingly slow...we will keep going. Why? Well, it did give our Bridget 8 more years of her life...and by all accounts they were good ones...ones worth living...for her and her family...Diagnosed at 21 as she graduated from College and just began to date the man that would some day become her husband...she also began the fight of her life. The one that finally ended last Thursday...Her family, and her "Big Man" as we all came to know him, and the rest of us also, came to realize that this was no ordinary woman. I know, none of us are...But this was no more evident than in the case of Bridget. I met her back in 2010 when I spoke at a Kome 3day event near DC...I had thought I might meet her and I had hoped to meet a couple of other people too...I did...and I blogged about it...of course I did...That post, remains to this day, probably my favorite post...Here it is...Why We Walk ...I happen to think it is one of the best I have ever written. I think it will remain that. It would mean a lot to me if you are taking the time to read this if you might find it in your heart to read that one too. (Thanks)

Bridget was always very upbeat and full of energy and also full of thank-fullness for all that we and Susan G Komen and the others were doing to help her and others like her...

The last time I was able to speak to Bridget was at the SGK Leadership Conference in 2012. She spoke to us all with such candor and such a smile and humor. We all know what a rough year that was for all of us with Komen...Both staff and volunteers...we had a lot to overcome...some could not understand why she stuck it out...well that is simple, she said, and I must paraphrase...she said basically that without Komen she would not be standing before us...she would not have been able to marry...nor have a puppy...nor a house...She teased Nancy Brinker, as no one else can, about the fact that she had not been born yet when certain things had been accomplished within Komen:) We all laughed with her...and Nancy...and the rest of us...gave her a standing ovation...later I was able to help Bridget look for jacket...lol...I. Know. Bridget. lol

Such an honor.

...

!And now this angel is gone!

Her "Big Man" in his darkest hour, thought to post on her blog to let the rest of us know... Thank you for that...Thank you also for sharing your Bridget with so many of us when I am sure that you would have liked to keep her to yourself:)

Bridget loved her pearls...she wore her 3day shirt and her pearls at the finish of the 3day walks and so we have had a project called "Pearls for Bridget"

We all feel as though we have failed our guiding light...

But we also know that we will not let her down now.

We will continue to...

So I will 

And I will be wearing my pearls in honor of our Bridget...