I received an email from a long-time, close friend of Nicole (NicOz) and she gave me permission to share the note. I hope everyone who reads this understands how very important you are to each other, and how very meaningful your interactions are. Here's the note:
Dear Tim
We have never corresponded, yet I feel I know you, through my friend known to MPIP as NicOz. Through her journey I have often come to this board to share in some small way Nicole’s journey.
I received an email from a long-time, close friend of Nicole (NicOz) and she gave me permission to share the note. I hope everyone who reads this understands how very important you are to each other, and how very meaningful your interactions are. Here's the note:
Dear Tim
We have never corresponded, yet I feel I know you, through my friend known to MPIP as NicOz. Through her journey I have often come to this board to share in some small way Nicole’s journey.
I am so very sorry to say that Nicole has died as you have no doubt read on the MPIP board. Nicole either died during the night of Sunday 18 September or the morning of Monday 19 September. I do not yet have those details. As you can image her family are dealing with their grief. If you feel this email is worth sharing I am happy for you to do so.
I wanted to write because I know how important this board and the brave generous people who shared their stories were to Nicole at times. How it comforted her, informed her, saddened her, angered her, but always made her feel a part of a community, which we her family and friends could never really experience being on this side of the melanoma battle.
Nicole was a warm, loving, caring person, who struggled with this disease as others do. Often, more often than not, she found it easier to deal with this journey with anger and an acerbic wit in public, masking a heartfelt grief and fear, which she could not express, even at times to herself. Behind the scenes I know that there were many she wanted to support and did a wonderful job of it. Nicole was a tenacious little Foxie Terrier. Her bark was always far more than her bite. It helped keep her strong in this battle, focused and determined. At times also driven like a dog with a bone.
Many on this board, some still here, some who are resting, and some who are no longer in need, meant a great deal to Nicole. I could name so many and yet I won’t just in case I forget a name or get one wrong. I would like to think they know who they are. You were of course, one of them, Nicole held you in high regard. The journeys she listened to, the discussions she entered, the stoushes she once told me helped her feel alive, yet at others times hurt her because she was misunderstood. I use to tell her stay away, don’t get so involved, and let it go, they don’t know you.
Then for the past six months I have come to this board and engaged with many of the people here, feeling their triumphs, hurting at their setbacks. The way that the people here offer solace and concern, they empathize and support as well as inform and rally and I understood why Nicole found it so hard to stay away, to not get involved, why she engaged. I never intruded into what I felt was Nicole’s space, although many times I was tempted, to encourage, or to empathize or to simply comment on a post not responded to.
Nicole has left a piece of herself with many of us, she is my son’s God Mother, was a best friend. These are but a few pieces I will carry with me always, she has left many pieces of herself with me and mine. But I think that she would have liked to leave a mark, a deep, and a little shared thought with those whose journey she has participated and shared in, the community no one wants to be a part of, but receives so much because they are. She would deny it, she would have something ready and clever and self deriding to say, to cover her soft spot but I think it important to share that I think if she felt she could, she would say….
Be true to yourself, be kind to yourself, be kinder to others and be kindest to snappy tenacious little foxie’s fighting the battle. Good journey’s all whose path was at one time joined with mine.
Donna
.
. I shall come here and whenever I have news of Miss G and Nicole's family shall share with you all. I will also come here because I have read of the many journey's you are on and have become involved.
