Goodbye to a Dear Old Friend

Sheila Lynn DeLancey Hamelin

December 12, 1966 ~ June 10,2011



Hello friends. Today's post is a sad one. I am handing over the blog to Mom tonight so she can pay tribute to our beloved friend Sheila. I loved Sheila, and she loved me. We were special friends. Together we helped Mommy plan her and Dad's wedding. I will miss her. She was a friend to all animals.

One of my oldest and dearest friends lost her valiant year long fight against the evil monster cancer yesterday morning.

Actually, she won against cancer, as she was cancer free after a stem cell transplant in December of last year. It was the way the treatment ravaged her body that left her too weak to battle against a blood infection that ultimately took her, much too soon, from a family and friends who loved her so deeply.

Sheila was my first friend in my new school in fourth grade. It was my fifth school in as many years, so I was used to being the new kid. I was still shy. She introduced herself on the bus, and from there our friendship has grown lasted over these past, well, a lot of years.

So many memories have flooded my mind over the past day and night, and I still find it impossible to imagine that I can't pick up the phone and hear her voice at the other end. As life does, it took us in different directions over the years. It could be months sometimes when we didn't talk. But when we did, we could just pick right up from where we left off. She was one of those unconditional friends. The ones you can tell anything and they love you just the same. without judgement. The ones you could call at any hour and you know they would be there. The ones who know you. The real you. Not only who you have become, but who you have always been.

The world is a sadder place today without Sheila. She was a loyal friend, a loving wife and a devoted Mother. She was a wonderful sister and a beloved daughter. Parents aren't supposed to bury their children. This isn't how it is supposed to be.

I will miss my dear friend. and my one comfort is knowing that she is no longer suffering.

National Marrow Donor Program

You should all know that my most intuitive and sensitive baby pug Wilma has been by my side for the past day. She has been tender and loving and has not busted chops one time. She is such a loving girl under all that fur and punkiness. She is always there for me when I really need her. Just don't tell her I told.