In Loving Memory....

Christopher Neal Forrest would have been 34 today if he would have survived cancer. Chris was one of my childhood friends who I've known forever. It was a rocky start to one of the best friendships I've ever had. We met in kindergarten and hated it each. He ended up going to a different middle school and then returned in high school. It was then that our friendship blossomed into a great relationship. He was a wonderful person-smart, funny, generous in all things,musically talented, a very well rounded person. And even after he was diagnosed he stayed positive-I think that's one of the reasons he lived as long as he did after the initial diagnosis, the surgeries, the chemo and radiation. He was a real trooper. And if only I would have know that my time with him was going to run out so quickly I would have spent so much more time with him. Jason and I saw him before we left that year for a two week vacation-he was in good spirits as usual and he seemed to be feeling alright. The night we flew back in I have about four voice mails on my cell phone all from his fiance Jo hat told us a completely different story. While we were gone Chris' condition worsened drastically. He made the decision to put himself in hospice care at one of the local hospitals and had been there for a week. He had asked about me/us several times and she told him she had called-they knew that we were out of town, but she also knew that I wanted to know if things changed. We came in late that night, but I called her and she asked if we could come first thing the next day. And that's what we did. He had a private room and it was filled with his family. And then I looked over and there was my dear friend hooked up to machines. So I sat down on the edge of the bed and held his hand and told him about the trip. He was on a lot of medication, but could understand what I was saying and that it was me. As soon as I said hi, he smiled. So we stayed with him and the family for a long time and then decided we should go and that we'd come back the next day in the evening. Little did I know that the first phone call that I would receive that next morning would be Jo, his fiance, calling to give me the news. Chris had passed away in his sleep that morning. That was four years ago....He would be 34 today. So my dearest friend, Happy Birthday. You are missed so much every day.