Saturday, September 12, 2009

A Death in the Family

It is a sad day in our little letterboxing family today--Janet, better known as Blooming Flowers to most of us--passed away. She had been diagnosed with Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) earlier this year, which would ultimately cut her life way too early.

I've gotten a few people e-mailing me thanking me for the Blooming Flowers theme up right now, but I would like to make sure that everyone knows that that was Wassamatta_u's creation. He created it for her shortly after she was first diagnosed with AML, before *I* even found out she had been diagnosed with the cancer, and put it up again first when she was rushed to the hospital and today when she passed away. He jokes a lot, but he's actually a pretty thoughtful guy. =) But he really deserves all the credit for the theme. I just let him put it up.

On another note, there is a tributes page set up on Atlas Quest in honor of Blooming Flowers. If you have a fond memory of her or incident to tell, please share it with the rest of us. Or even just to offer your sympathies and prayers for her and her family.

While reading her profile today--strange that I'm compelled to do things like that after someone dies, as if trying to get to know them better after the fact, but I particularly enjoyed her answer to the question about what animal she would be and why, writing, "A cat. I like to lay in the sun and be pampered."

Here's to laying in the sun and being pampered. =)

But our little community will still miss you.

10 comments:

Mama Cache said...

Thank you, Ryan, for this entry. She will certainly be missed.

Knit Wit said...

You know what, Ryan? I think Janet would have loved that picture! :-)

Anonymous said...

Your a good egg ryan..

lbm

Anonymous said...

I am so proud to be a part of this community. Letterboxers are really the most thoughtful, decent, caring, funny, brilliant, loving bunch I have ever known. OR not known. I have only met a few of you in person, and Janet was not one of them. Be we did oorrespond and the love can be felt through the keys and the computer screen. Love to Janet's family and to all of you, the LB/ AQ family, as well. xoxo Scraphappy/Tonya

Liz Henderson (Hendel D'bu) said...

I am so sad. I cannot say much more than that, other than she will be very much missed.

Anonymous said...

It's sad to hear a member from our Letterboxing family has passed on. I wish her Family and Friends peace in this time of sadness.

DrWatson

Lea said...

As a pediatric oncology nurse, I deal with AML on a daily basis and it is a particularly nasty disease. I'm so sorry to hear that Blooming Flowers lost her struggle - AML is one of the most aggressive of the cancers out there. One of my favorite patients is currently in the ICU fighting for her life; ironically she has had a bone marrow transplant to "cure" her AML, and it's a respiratory infection that may ultimately be her undoing. Stupid cancer.

-- Princess Lea

Anonymous said...

Thanks GT

Unknown said...

Thanks Ryan for letting us friends of Bloomer Flowers, know she passed away. I will truly miss her.She was a great friend. I had offered her my Marrow, if she could not find a family member that matched her. So I was honored to know I was on her back up list. She was a dear friend, I wish I could have known better. She will be greatly missed on AQ. Dear Family, may God give you the strength to carry on the days without her. I loved her dearly.
ILY..................Kay

Unknown said...

Oh, god...I had NO idea. I was just about to write her and tell her I was on my way to Texas for Thanksgiving. I'm beyond words. :-(