The story for this blog entry actually starts 7 years ago in the summer of 2001. When I confided in my friend, Bobbi, of some health issues that I was struggling with she took me to talk to her friend, Kara, who was a nurse. The hope for that day was that Kara could help me understand what was happening to my body, the actual result was that I made an incredible friend. I babysat Kara's three children (ages at the time: Brett 10, TJ 8, and Taylor 5) on a relatively frequent basis. It was always a treat to hang with her kids.
Kara was a magnificent friend who was always there when I needed her. Love emanated from Kara toward everyone. She had so many endearing qualities that made her beautiful both inside and out. Perhaps my favorite was her sense of humor and laughter. Kara loved to have a good time and she had fun at anything she did. It was hard to be in Kara's presence and not be laughing. Her attitude was always positive, even when life dealt her a really bad hand.
Kara remained a good friend to me even after I moved to Utah 6 years ago. There were countless phone calls that would last until one of us ran out of battery power on our cell phone, which sometimes took hours. Each time I came home to visit my favorite part of coming home was spending time with Kara, it was a guaranteed good time and a bucket of laughs.
Just over a year ago Kara found out she had breast cancer. She opted for a mastectomy and the outcome seemed optimistic. The cancer went into remission. Eight weeks ago I received a devastating phone call, Kara's cancer was back and this time it had spread to her bones. As was characteristic of Kara, she was determined to remain positive and to do whatever it took to fight this disease. Upon receiving the news I immediately bought a plane ticket and two weeks later flew home to spend some time with Kara. I found her in better condition than expected, that was a pleasant surprise. She was up and smiling and still laughing that laugh that can only come from Kara. Most importantly she was still optimistic.
After my week in Iowa I returned home. Just one week later I got a good news call from Kara to tell me that her counts were up and she was starting chemo again. Two weeks later the chemo was too much for her body and the cancer was spreading.
On Monday, November 17th, 2008 Kara passed away. Losing such a dear friend isn't easy and the pain will never go away. The one thing that I can hold on to is the many great and happy memories that I made with Kara while she was here. The loss of Kara has been heart wrenching. In her honor I hope that I can become more of the person she was. I will strive to love people unconditionally, the way Kara did. I will care deeply for others and serve them, the way Kara did. And perhaps most imporant I will be positive in and make the most of every day that I am given, the way Kara did.
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