Saturday, July 21, 2012

Mary Jo

Someone I've never met but felt I got to know through her blog has passed away. I only know her first name, Mary Jo, and that when she began her blog she was 56 years old and had just been diagnosed with Stage 3 Invasive Ductal Carcinoma. Mary Jo started her blog "Put on your big girl pants and just get on with it" on October 19, 2010 with the hope of sharing her journey and experiences while fighting the disease.

Her story touched me personally because my Mother was a two-time breast cancer survivor and that dark cloud of breast cancer now hovers over me and many of the young women in my family due to genetics. Reading about Mary Jo's treatment -the highs and the lows- was inspiring to me. The unending support she received from family and friends was touching and makes me wish I could tell her husband Ron, especially, how much Mary Jo's blog has meant to me. She put up a good fight.

Her blog is still there along with the comments from family, friends, and strangers like me. Mary Jo was a brave, brave soul, her last blog post was June 15, 2011, she passed away on March 17, 2012.

Thank you Mary Jo.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

My condolences to MJ's family. I've read her blog also. Isn't it amazing how people we've never met can touch our lives in such profound ways.

We have our own blogger family. Love to all of you.

Randy Johnson said...

Thank you Itsme for the link to Mary Jo’s Blog. I spent some time there today reading. I never read it when she was alive so I didn’t think it would be appropriate to leave any comments, but it took me back days of sitting in the hospital watching my mother die of cancer when she was just 47. She put on a brave face too, and suffered through it as quietly, and with as much dignity as possible. It’s amazing how strong the mind can be when the body is at its weakest. Well I wish I could thank Mary Jo, and my mother for their life lessons. I remember hearing someplace that you can’t really live until you learn how to die. Maybe that was “Tuesday’s with Morrie” I’m not sure. Anyway, thank you for sharing another valuable lesson in life, and reminder of its value.

Robert Crane said...

So nicely said!

itsmecissy said...

Ho Bob, Missed you.