I love, love, love hearing stories about Maura. I love the little glimpses into pieces of her life that I did not personally witness. I love hearing how she affected others. In the past couple of weeks I have heard from someone who made her chili for a cook-off and took second place. I heard from the lead singer/guitarrist of a local band who, one night last year, jumped off the stage to dance with Maura, leaving his band to finish the song alone. I heard about her songs and laughter and smile.
All the stories make me happy.
About Me
- Erin
- This is a picture of my daughter, Maura. She died from metastatic high-grade unclassified sarcoma* on May 19, 2009 at the age of 22. For one year I wrote about her journey with cancer. I don't know if I'll keep writing now or if I'm done. We'll just take it a day at a time. *Sarcoma is a little-known, under-researched, under-funded cancer. To contribute directly to research please consider giving a gift directly to: MD Anderson Cancer Center- Donations, PO Box 4486, Houston TX 77210-4486 ****(Please write "In memory of Maura de Souza " in the memo portion of the check to make sure it goes directly for sarcoma research.)
1 comment:
What I remember about Maura was how she was always bubbly, bright, and cheerful at rehearsals of the choir at church (First Methodist in Huntsville, where she was a scholarship singer). My daughter got into the choir, singing at first in the alto section because of her low speaking voice. Amber was so impressed with the accomplishment of the college singers, especially as she began trying to make her way in the All-State Choir competitions. She was very impressed with Maura, especially after she was one of the soloists in the Messiah concert here. Maura was a human being, not a magical being. She worked very hard. Amber felt she could do that.
Last year Amber buckled down, changed to first soprano, worked very hard and made it to the All-State Choir. She followed Maura's progress along the way. We last saw her at a concert at Rice University two or three weeks before she died. She was smiling and happy, giving only a hint of the distress she was in.
Whe I heard a week later what her prognosis had been two thoughts immediately crossed my mind. I was crushed for you, her parents, and amazed, as I had been all along, at the courage and grace of the child you had raised.
Maura's death hurt Amber deeply. It was like a black hole at the end of what should have been a perfect year. She hasn't been disillusioned by it, though. She seems to have gotten a better sense of perspective. She doesn't have that sense that the world owes her something I see in so many kids (including, perhaps, a couple of my own). She works like a slave but is still grateful for the recognition she gets by it. She hasn't specifically said so, but it seems to me Maura had something to do with that.
Lee Jamison
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