Jojo

My incredible friend Jojo died last night. 

Jojo and I were online friends but we’d also met in “real” life.  Like me, she was a regular feature of the online breast cancer world, through various groups. Like me, she discovered a second breast lump just by the site of her first, when she was finishing treatment. Like me, she soon discovered that her cancer had metastasised to her liver. Like me, she refused to accept the worst case prognosis and attacked her illness face on with a new treatment plan. Like me, she planned ahead to a day when the treatment might, just might, be over. 

But she still died. 

The world is a poorer place. Jojo was such a strong character. She was a party animal. She was artistic, funny, articulate, intelligent, bullish. She wrote a phenomenal blog (please read it – you’ll find it at http://www.themalignantginger.co.uk).She sang and wrote music and made art. She didn’t care. She was an individual. She was a personality. She was just 32 years old. 

Jojo, thank you for everything. Thank you for your support and friendship. Thank you for making me laugh. Thank you for sharing a small part of your life with me. Thank you for showing me how to keep going. Thank you for wearing that pink bracelet even though you hated pink. Thank you for your expressiveness. Thank you for appreciating the flowers I sent you last week. Thank you for being my liver mets twin. 

I wish we’d had more time as friends. I wish we’d had that next night out together. I wish I’d heard more of your music. I wish I’d made it to your not so surprise party last month. I wish we’d have talked about dying as well as living. I wish I could have done more. I wish you’d taken that money your friend raised for you and spent every penny – I don’t care on what. I wish your chemo had worked. I wish you were here to read this. 

The world is a poorer place. 

Party on, Jojo. Until we meet again, my friend xxx