A friend passed away during Easter...Pamela

She loved the little hummingbird and flower divider bar, using it quite frequently in her journal in AOL. Pamela was One Girl's Head Noise and the leading journal in J-land. Even before she started blogging about her fight with cancer, she developed the first Journal Directory and gave lots of help to other journalers. After all, this is a very technical experience with html and stuff! A few months ago, she was featured in the Washington Post because her heartfelt postings had caught editors eyes and hearts (they must have them).

I met her first when I was sent to her journal to add mine to the Directory by some friend online. Then the first year Anniversary celebration rolled around and the unofficial committee breezed through my journal waking me up to the festivities. Their energy helped spark mine into making a float for the cyberParade, choose a special ballgown and acessories for the big dance, and attend my first live chat where there was wild carryings on out in the parking lot and lots of cyberChampagne getting us very virtually drunk. There in the Chatroom party was His1Desire whose presence put a nice ceiling on things. For me, well, I thought it was God. Little did I know it was my first live encounter with Pam.

Next thing I new someone emailed me to visit her journal because of the entries. She was ill, with cancer. I don't think any of us were ready for the blogout that went on as she fought that enemy tooth and nail. It was a real priviledge to meet one of the wittiest, bravest and un-vain people I have ever known. She unabashedly wrote about going bald due to chemo and then posted the pics. We found out about treatments and what cancer could do to you even when you say no! There were hundreds of online friends flocking to Pam's email box and journal to cheer her on and what I think was to touch base with someone that was giving us the honest picture of what could happen to any of us.

Then we went through radiation and Pam disappeared from radar during Christmas. We knew her Mom was with her. Someone in her family was around whether it was one of her two devoted children, one of her many adult sisters, or her mom. I was making Cessation name tags for each anniverary month date but decided since she was quiet to skip Christmas.

A sister had set up a Yahoo group to let us know and then we knew. The cancer had spread to her brain. My Great Aunt Mid had gone through the same thing. She was going to have brain surgery on one of the tumors.

Then she was back online and really! Where did this girl get her pluck? Pics of her sitting with her "turban" as she called it in her hospital bed and wired with tubes! She was amazing with the wit and well we had a real Comeback Kid.

She posted she was still wearing her nicotine patch because the addiction demon was around. I couldn't believe it at first but I remember my own and it is a horrible curse. Prayer was the only answer for me after many programs.

Last week, her last post was extreme tiredness. I had made her tags but decided to hold off. Her son had taken off from college in Hawaii to take care of her so we knew she wasn't alone. Every day I checked her journal to see if a new post was there. Then I thought she is having a nice Easter Vacation so I didn't email until Saturday. I decided to send the healing scriptures that someone had sent me with some nice Christian graphics. Then I sent them to other friends who also may have need of them. I never heard from Pam, not her usual.

My friend Kathy has a journal I visit daily and so I went there Easter. There it was...Crying, Pam was dead. The copy from the Yahoo group was posted, Pam passed early Saturday evening, Easter vigil.

Lord Jesus and his angels must have been waiting in the wings for her. I hope I meet her in heaven because my Paradise has laughter, wit, and a sense of fun in it even when the going is rough.

God Bless you Pamela! May you suffer no more!