I first met Jen my sophomore year in college. She was spunky, friendly, funny, compassionate, and full of life! Little did I know I would spend two years as her roommate, gain an amazing friend, and she would teach me valuable a valuable life lesson-live life to it’s fullest despite incredible challenges. You see Jen lived with a very rare auto-immune disorder that caused her body to be unable to fight illness.
Jen had many challenges resulting from her immune disorder. She wore hearing aids as a result of aggressive treatment in childhood. She had a permanent IV line so she could give IV medication to herself. In her four years of college she was in the hospital at least numerous times. Once in she was in the ICU followed by isolation for several weeks. She was in chronic pain and had secondary health issues resulting from disorder and many treatments over her twenty plus years. Yet, this woman was full of life and lived life to it’s fullest.
Jen lived life to it’s fullest in three particular ways-she loved to laugh, she thought of others first, and she never gave up!
Jen loved to laugh! We were always laughing. I remember one time when Jen was sick and was on IV medication. As part of this process she had to flush her IV line with water using a non-needle syringe. She decided it would be fun to shoot water out of one of the syringes at me. I proceeded to take another syringe and shoot her back. This resulted in a water syringe fight that left us rolling on the floor laughing. In many ways it was “medicine” for both of us. It broke the tension in our friendship. It made the stressful times easier. She taught me that laughter really is the best medicine for life’s many struggles and challenges.
Both in the midst of illness as well as when she was doing well, Jen thought of other before herself. One night I awoke in the middle of the night to find Jen packing a bag. I asked her what she was doing and she told me she had decided she need to go to the the local hospital. I told her I would take her but she told me that she has already called campus security to take her so I could go back to bed. The comfort and well being of others always came before herself! She taught me to put others first through humbleness, compassion, and sympathy.
Up until Jen died in the summer of 2006 she never gave up on life! I never once heard her say I don’t want to do this any more-it is too hard. Despite all the time she spent in the hospital and in the colleges health services, Jen finished a difficult and time consuming Elementary Education major in 4 year. She was alway talking about becoming a elementary education teacher even when it was evident that her body was failing her. She was always hopeful that she would be “cured” and her body would allow her to live a long life. Jen taught me to be strong and never give up on life.
Jen’s life and friendship have touched my heart and changed my life. Jen loved dragonflies. To this day every time I see a dragonfly I stop and say “hi” to Jen and thank her for the life lessons that her actions and her spirit taught me. The dragonfly reminds and inspires me to live life to it’s fullest by laughing more, putting others first, and never giving up no matter what life throws at me!
(Adapted from a recent Toastmasters speech)
