I met Gussie ten years ago.  My friendship with her was a little different than that of her other friends.  And did she have friends!! Loads of them, going back to childhood as well as all the new ones she met throughout her life.

I knew her through Reiki, and our relationship for the most part took place in my Reiki room. Over the years we got to know each other really well and she eventually bestowed upon me the title ‘Bridie’.  Some honour as her closest friends were all affectionately known as Bridie!!

Once you met our Gussie you never forgot her.  When she chatted to you she looked you in the eye and gave you her full attention.  She wanted to know everything about you and she wasn’t being nosey, well mabye a bit, but she was just so genuinely interested in you.  She was vibrant, unholy, funny, sincere and did I say unholy? Dear God she just spat out the words, with a hint of wickedness, that the rest of us just thought about.  She loved to shock when she opened her mouth and usually did.  So you get the picture, this woman was a big ball of lovely life.

Her final year was tough.  She tried so hard to stay, to be here for her little daughter Mollie. Gussie’s own mum died when she was nineteen so she knew how sad life would be for Mollie without her. But her cancer was spreading.

When her medical team told her there was nothing more they could do she told them to go back to the table and find something. Her fourteen year old daughter was depending on her.  They came up with another cocktail and so did the cancer.

We celebrated her 49th birthday with a huge party. We knew there was no certainty of her being around for her 50th, those words however, were not verbalised, to me anyway, she eluded to her death but didn’t want to speak of it.  Anyway…. the night of her party she hardly left the dance floor.  She also paid tribute to everyone who was significant to her in her life.  She was full of love and she was so loved by all of us.

The night she died, I’m told that she was in a lot of pain and the nurse giving her medication asked her if she was allergic to anything ‘Celine Dion’ was her reply!! She died forty minutes later.

If you are still with me at this stage of the blog thank you.  I have no doubt that you also know people who have died from cancer and that is why Pippa and I are so passionate about doing whatever we can to raise awareness and funds for cancer research, the current one being The Paint it Pink campaign.

The number of cancer thrivers is growing every year so we have cause to celebrate.  So let’s celebrate.  Come to our Reiki Event in Clontarf Castle, Sun 2 Nov from 1000-1pm.  Details on justreiki.net.

Pippa and Caitriona