Dear Eva

You’ve been gone for a year now but to me, you’re still around. I think about you every time I go for a run. I imagine you pushing me from behind whenever I get too short of breath saying “Keep going! Keep going!”  You’re life was taken from you far too early and it kills me to think about what you would have done with your life if you had the chance.  It kills me to think about your family not having you around. I didn’t even know you very well and this is the impact you had on me. I think you were an amazing young woman and I’m so thankful for so many things you’ve done. By publicizing your feelings, you gave me permission to have the same ones. You made it ok for me to have those feelings and you gave me the courage to publicize mine now. You showed us not only how inspirational you are but what I loved most was that you weren’t afraid to let us know that you were frustrated and angry on the bad days. Thank you for that. I think it’s so important to stay positive but you taught me that it’s ok to have bad days too. You taught me to be thankful of what I have and to not take things for granted. I’ve learnt to take advantage of the life that I have to live. So today I make a promise to you. For whatever it’s worth. From me to you. I promise to live and love every day. I promise to fight harder than I’ve ever fought before. I promise to carry on your legacy. I promise to stay as healthy as I possibly can so I can live to see the moment when CF stands for Cure Found. And I promise to bring on along for the ride. You were a remarkable and inspiring woman Eva and I’m so grateful for everything you gave this world.