Friday, September 12, 2008

Stacey McDaniel 1975- 2008

I come here with a heavy heart today. A very dear friend, someone I considered a sister, has succumbed to cancer. A cancer she has fought off twice before. I am heartbroken and feeling very helpless. I just want to go and help out where ever I am needed, but I know, the best I can do right now, is pray for Stacey's children. I knew Stacey through an online playgroup that has been together for 8+ years. We have seen many things in that time, births, deaths, divorces, marriages, weight loss, we even have a published author. We are all very different yet, we all hold true, one value. We love and cherish the people we have come to know. When something like this happens, I know it's best to pull together and pull strength from each other. each of us knew her, some more than others, but we all loved her, and cherished her. The person that Stacey was can be defined in so many ways. I choose to define her with one word. Heroic. Since 2003 she has battled this disease. She has overcome so many things. Things I don't know if I could deal with, with as much poise and respect as she did. Through everything she went through, the one thing that stayed constant was her love of her children. They were everything to her, absolutely everything. In her darkest hours, it was her children she worried about, not herself. She fought hard and long to fight this disease and in the end, it took her life anyway. I'm trying hard to understand it, why people like Stacey are taken in the prime of their lives. Why someone as strong and brilliant as Stacey, had to leave her children behind. I know God has another plan, there will be a blessing, or many blessings, that come from this tragedy. I am holding true to that fact. Stacey is missed, and she is loved. She was a hero to so many people. Her life touched everyone who met her, her story, was one of courage and strength and I pray her children know their mother would have scooped the stars out of the sky for them, if they'd asked her to. I love and miss you Stacey, your children will always be in my prayers. I will never falter in that. You were an inspiration in your life, and illness and you will continue to be an inspiration in your death.

May the Lord bless you, and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace."'

Here is an article written on Stacey recently

1 comment:

jdlovinlife said...

Thank you for everything you wrote about Stacey. I just found out that she passed. I met Stacey through helping her through her divorce. She's the bravest, strongest woman I have ever met and I wish I could be half as strong as her. She was incredibly smart and had not been struck with brain cancer, she would be an amazing doctor (Med Student) right now. Stacey, I wish I could have said good-bye, know that I love you, I miss you, and I will pray for children for the rest of my days.