The day after Maddie died, I asked my friend Jackie! to come to me. She put everything on hold and drove six hours to be with me. When she arrived at my house, I was laying in bed, having just taken a sleeping pill. She got into bed with me, and laid with me while I slept. She (along with some of my other closest friends) took care of all the details that I couldn’t. She bought several dresses and brought them to my house so I wouldn’t have to go shopping for a funeral dress. She even bought me spanx. She means everything to me.

Jackie!, for those of you who don’t know, has a very mean and aggressive brain tumor. She inspires me every day (and will hate me for saying that). Instead of wallowing like so many would, she has raised tens of thousands of dollars for brain tumor research. She has headed up the top fund-raising team in San Francisco for the last two years running. She has bravely told her story in front of thousands. She is awesome.

The last couple months have been rough on Jackie!. She’s been having seizures, and has been feeling generally crappy. But it was still an unexpected blow when we found out that Jackie!’s last two brain scans showed suspicious growth. It could be scar tissue from her first surgery, but based on the growth between scans, the doctors suspect it isn’t.

So, today in San Francisco at 3:30 pm, her amazing neurosurgeon is cutting into her skull to see what’s growing on her brain. Her second brain surgery. I am hoping with every fiber of my being that it IS just a strange scar growth, and that once it’s removed, her seizures will stop and she’ll be able to recover quickly and focus on raising more money and growing hair back on her noggin.

Before Jackie!’s first brain surgery, Maddie let Jackie! borrow her lucky shirt. Jackie! had it with her in the hospital:

Jackie! and Maddie's shirt

On Maddie’s first birthday, Jackie! returned the shirt and gave Maddie something else:

Annie and I are going to hold, touch, and wear it all day, sending all our brave vibes to Jackie!.

I hope you all will do the same. Please.