Remembering Ellie x

Today I woke up to a phone call from Ramzi, Ellie's husband, to tell me that she'd passed away on Friday having lost her fight with pancreatic cancer.  I don't know if you remember the story about our friendship, but Ellie was diagnosed in July 2015 like me, she was a blipper (before I knew her) and a friend of my friend Chrissy. 

Chrissy messaged both Ellie and myself and we linked up and became Facebook friends - she lived in Bristol and I'm in Brighton, but despite the distance, we were there for each other through some difficult times, and eventually met in London in November last year (see my extra).  We went through chemo together and then radiotherapy, but sadly Ellie was only given 6-12 months to live.  She was determined to beat it and even when they told her the chemo wasn't working, she started on a clinical trial, but sadly that didn't work either and the cancer spread to her spine, among other places.

I thought something was wrong when I didn't get a reply to my last messages, but this morning when I saw 'she' was calling me, I didn't expect her husband to be on the other end.  He said that she thought a lot of me, and I was the last person she was trying to message - she just didn't manage it :-(  But through her determination, she had almost another year than was expected.

I've shed some tears this morning, for a very special lady, but also it's very close to home.  What also upset me is that she passed away on Friday, and on Friday I was celebrating with Chloe who'd just finished her radiotherapy - it all seems a bit surreal!

So today my blip is for Ellie, Ramzi and their son Zak. RIP lovely lady, I'm privileged to have known you xx