Jill - Sunbearz

sh*t.  That just makes me sick and sad.  She is such an amazing person, she just has to rally.  Jill, we love you!!!

Love,
Denise

Jill

Hey Jill,

I have sh*tty news, you guys.  I went to the Komen site and found out that our dear Jill, Sunbearz, died this morning at 1:30. 
with love and sorrow,
Denise W

Thanks Denise,

No words.. just in awe of the voracity/audacity of this.

Love,
Mary

Jill had such a huge impact on so many women's lives, here and elsewhere.  She was such a fighter, so full of love and life and humor.  She could be counted on to encourage us when we were feeling low, to offer compassion and wisdom when we needed it, and to kick up her heels and laugh if something struck her as funny.  She kept reaching for what is real, finding beautiful reasons to live with gusto even as her symptoms multiplied and her body failed her.  She was a beacon to all who knew her, a real tower of strength.  She never gave up, and encouraged all of us to savor our lives and NEVER GIVE UP.  These I think were her parting words to the women at Komen.  At death's door, she wanted us to hear this message on the sanctity of life, the preciousness of the souls inhabiting our bodies.  We are not our bodies, she would say.  Not our hair, not our cancers, nor our physical forms.  We are the souls that reside within, visiting this beautiful planet.

Rest in peace, Jill.  It sucks beyond comprehension that you, or any woman, had to lose your life to this disease. 

love,
Denise W.

I just saw this this morning on Facebook.  So, so sorry to Jill's family.

Hi everyone. I'm sorry, I don't have an address for Jill's family. We asked one of the Komen administrators, Zach, to set up a page so that we could make donations in Jill's name. Komen sent her a card when she was in Hospice (I hope she got it) telling her about this, as she was always saying that if everyone gave a dollar, there'd be enough money to finally find a cure. If only that were true. If anyone wants to donate--even a dollar--in her honor or memory, here is the link:

http://ww5.komen.org/donate/donateonline.html

Jill was an amazing woman who didn't believe in giving up. And still, when she knew it was time, she let go with grace. Rena

Oh, and Pam has an address.  Pam, can you post it here or do you feel it's more respectful to give it out privately through pm when people request it?
thx,
d

Denise, I guess it depends on how you define grace. To some, it implies a kind of passive acceptance. To me, it means leaving this earth the way you lived your life. As you know, there was nothing passive about Jill. I wasn't there, of course, and can only tell you what I know from Jill's last posts on Komen and from some of her friends who posted. While I guess she did stay in fighting mode in some ways, in her posts she acknowledged that there were no more treatments and that she needed a wheelchair for safety reasons. I think that her body made it clear that she was reaching the end of her fight. She continued, for as long as she could, coming to Komen to encourage the other women there dealing with stage IV. She was somehow able to do that while still telling the truth about her situation. Someone on Komen said that there had better be kayaks in Heaven. I like that image of Jill in her kayak. I didn't mean to present myself as an expert on Jill or her life. These are just my observations and my feelings. Take care. Rena