[DaiCroParticipant]

[i][b]Bridget's funeral will be held at 10:30am this morning (4th July) at Stopsley Crematorium, Lut[/i]on.[/b]

I was planning to be there but a shadow of Janet;s bad cough and fighting a mid 37's temperature for 3 days has caused me to err on the side of caution.:-/

But… Instead, I will be on forum for 30 minutes or so from 10:30am this morning… as a virtual 'chat' thread (for the initial 30 minutes at least) to talk of all things Bridget… which means everything and anything and could go anywhere.;-)

The idea is a tad selfish… and very late to be planning I know… but I am sure we can raise a few posts on this thread during this time and beyond… for as long as we feel like contributing.8-)

Bridget was a true friend to many of us… and if the truth be told the only reason that I am still active on this forum… and now she is gone… but I am sure we can send a few messages in her wake.:-D

Dai.

[PerkymiteParticipant]

I would really love to join you Dai but I have a funeral to attend in Barnstaple and I shall be getting ready or making my way there then.

Bridget was a lovely lady and I am pleased I met her. She always had a kind word and sound friendly advice. You could almost feel the smile in her posts. Love to you Bridget I am sure you are in God?s keeping and looking down on us all now.

Kindest regards ? vasbyte

David

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi All,

Below is Bridget's last ever post… sent on the 26th of May, only 3 weeks before she passed and at a time when she was plagued by infections and fatigued beyond measure… but of all that? Not a Dickybird. 🙂

I am using this post because it is typically Bridget… even at her very worst (health-wise), she is shown at her very best (Bridget-wise). 😎

Selfless, caring, concerned and inviting someone in pain to call on her, privately if need be, at a time when her world and her life was on a knife edge and soon to be cut off. 🙁

As I say, typically Bridget… to a 'T'. and I thought it a good starting point, 😎

Dai.

[quote]Dear Sue,

I am so sorry to hear things aren't going well, no wonder it has hit you so hard.

Please don?t feel guilty: you certainly have no need. Michael can probably see how much you need a break too. Try and be kinder to yourself Sue, you are Michaels strength and it's bound to take its toll but you do need time away from myeloma and hospitals etc., let alone the huge worry hanging over you.

I hope things get a little easier. Lots of love to you and Michael xxx

ps my e-mail address is … … … if you need to contact me privately x

Bridget. [/quote]

[HelenParticipant]

Dear Dai
Bridget was a god send to me at 1 in the morning, unable to sleep, another woman of similar age, talking about nothing and everything, she was my little voice in the wilderness, during some very difficult days when you can not bring yourself to share how you feel with anyone else. With Bridget you didn't need to say much -she knew how you felt. I miss her lots
Love Helen

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Helen,

Looking back at some of Bridget's posts over the last few years, sometimes several a day, with a word of advice here and a word of comfort there… and somewhere in the middle, often as a response from one of her 'friends' she would let slip about her own situation and it sounded, especially for Bridget, quite grim but never a clue in all her answers to the others… that's why so many identified selflessness as one of her qualities… but Bridget didn't see it that way and I'm sure she would have been astounded to think that we thought that way.

Dai.

[DizzylizParticipant]

Hello Dai,

I was thinking about my sister who passed away just over a year ago, (she would have been celebrating her ruby wedding anniversary today) and at that point I thought about Bridget and felt the need to come onto the forum,
It's so sad to think this lovely lady as gone but I know will not be forgotten! Lovely thread Dai and a nice thought.

May Bridget R.I.P.

Love liz & kev xx

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Liz & Kevin,

I would like to think that Bridget will rest in peace but not if she has anything to to with it she won't.;-)

I can imagine her now, pain free and whole, wandering around the streets of heaven, making friends and keeping an eye out for anyone looking a little glum… where she will stop and sidle over, sit down and start on in… 'Hi, I'm Bridget…:-)

Dai.

[HelenParticipant]

Hi Dai
You are so right, there was only one of her posts where I thought she was in pain and never a direct reference, so selfless and calming, and cheery really, I read the posts on the site for a few months before I felt able to contribute myself, she was one of the reasons I felt comfortable contributing such personal feelings.
Love Helen

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Helen,

I think that part of her secret was in always to sound cheery and postive without sounding too cheery or over positive..

[quote]Hi Nigel welcome to our merry little band!

It is the best place on the net for answers regarding myeloma as it is based on individual experiences, however if I have learnt one thing about mm it's that it is a toatally individual illness where the variations in symptoms and response to treatments are unique!

Being able to share experiences with each other is immensely valuable, especially as life with myeloma is about more than just symptoms and medications.

As for the benefit of transplants my vote is definitely worth it, the possibility of complete remission is there and failing that, any lengthy delay in heavy duty meds is a bonus.

Good luck Bridget[/quote]

The above is a typical example of Bridget finding the positive and answering in a cheery way while addressing the issues raised. This kind of response, when addressed at me, always cheered me up and quite often changed my direction of thinking.

Dai.

[eveParticipant]

Hi Everybody
Just got in,I have been down to the sea front walking and thinking about Bridget.
I hope she is there with her family looking on,I hope her daughters are strong.
They say things happen for a reason,and this is one of the times you think life is so unfair,Bridget is no longer in pain and to me this must be the blessing in her passing.
She was well thought of and will be missed,Eve

[DizzylizParticipant]

Dear Dai,

I'm reading your post with a little smile and yes I could hear Bridget say exactly that!

Liz& kev xx

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Eve,

One of my first reactions on hearing about Bridget's passing, when Janet finally got me to stop crying, was to thank God that at least she was no longer in pain.8-)

Bridget went into melt down from 12 months out… relapsing from her SCT she had 3 months on Velcade, followed by 4 months on Rev & Dex, then 3 months on Bendamustine and onto palliative care where they tried for Pomolomalide but she wasn't suited, the same with several trials and was on pain killers and possibly Thalidomide when she passed… with constant pain as her companion during all those transitions.:-(

But it didn't stop her being the busiest correspondent on this forum, making friends, offering sound advice, throwing in a cheerful word and hardy ever a word about herself unless pressed. 🙂

That's what made her unique and remarkable in a forum full of remarkable people.8-)

Dai.

[jmsmythParticipant]

Dear Dai

What a lovely thought for Bridget. I never thought I would cry over someone I never 'met'. Bridget was an inspiration to me through her posts not just in answering queries that I had but her posts to other people. Her family must be so proud of her as she was a truly wonderful person. She will be missed. Rest in peace dear Bridget.

Jean xx

[DaiCroParticipant]

Hi Jean,

I too took inspiration from Bridget's posts to other people, As a writer I soon spotted her 'style' which was quite natural but very, very effective.8-)

Bridget would open by accepting her correspondents problem and sometimes agreeing with it. But she would always pick up on the slightest positive and accentuate it before 'getting practical' again and offering advice on the next step… all delivered in a cheery, homepun manner… but Oh, so effectively.

Here;s one I saw earlier from February 2011… she went on later in the thread to welcome Eve and start in on her too. 😀

Dai.

[quote]Hi Chris welcome I am sure you will get lot of support from all the lovely people on here It took me a long while before I even looked at this site, a form of denial I think.

Unfortunately not all people even try to understand myeloma but its very sad that your husbands family are so unsupportive.

Grandchildren are a special joy aren't they? I know a visit from mine can lift my heart even on a bad day.

Don't hesitate to scream or rant on here if you are need to, we have all done it and there is always someone to give you the support you need,

I think it must be harder watching your partner go through it than it is for us patients sometimes.

Take care

Bridget[/quote]

[eveParticipant]

Hi Dai
Bridget amazed me,as I know from the amount of pain relieve she was on and still in pain,how hard it must have been for her,they gave her another hurdle to jump and she put her self forward.
She had the will to live,thinking always about her daughters and her mum,always there for them,Grandchildren as well,she has left her own goodness behind in them.Also she leaves her partner behind,lets not forget how hard it must be for him.
I will raise a glass to Bridget tonight,and thank her for all her kindness Eve

[Author]

Posts