Tribute to the life of Lauren Hutchins - Beloved daughter, sister and friend & important Cystic Fibrosis message!
A little over two months ago the incredible Lauren Hutchins lost her battle to Cystic Fibrosis after putting up one hell of a fight for 21 years. This is a blog I've been putting off writing for a while now simply because - what can you say about losing a person who was so special to everyone who knew her and so very loved? Lauren was and still very much is in my memory a star in every sense of the word. Mostly because to battle a life threatening illness such as Cystic Fibrosis from the moment you are born takes real courage and to do that with the strength, determination and passion that Lauren did is something that most people couldn't conceive. So in honour of my little friend, I'm going to man up and say what I've got to say even though if she were here she would probably tell me to shut up because she was too modest but I'm going to say it anyway!
I first met Lauren way back in year 7 and was immediately taken aback by how loving, kind and unassuming she was towards everyone she met, including me, which I found quite surprising because at the time I didn't consider myself like one of the cool kids. But that was the kind of person Lauren was. She would always make the effort to talk to everyone, make people laugh and generally cheer people up if they were having a bad day. One of my earliest memories with Lauren was at the Morfa Bay trip in year 7 where one night we picked out outfits for the disco and she insisted on sitting on my lap and doing my make-up for me because I was terrible at doing mascara and eyeliner, which resulted in me blinking and getting mascara everywhere and us laughing a lot. This was probably a sign of things to come given Lauren's passion for fashion and beauty later on and her talent of looking stunning everywhere she went. Nevertheless it is a memory that has always stuck with me throughout the years and something I will treasure. Other fond memories include how we use to try our best at dodging games lessons later in our teens by sitting and chatting about how much we loved the Russian girl band t.A.T.u. instead of playing badminton or netball or whatever we were meant to be doing and instead Lauren use to come in and tell me about new songs and dance routines that she'd learnt which was way more fun! As we all got older anyone who knew Lauren would know what a fun-lover she was and how much she loved to get dressed up and be the life and soul of the party. It was always amazing to see Lauren living life with so much energy and charisma despite how ill she was and yet never feel sorry for herself or make a fuss despite the severity of her health problems and this has always been the case. Lauren was determined to beat CF and right up until the end she fought to keep her wonderful friends' and family's spirits alive. I know that Lauren was also supportive of other CF sufferers and passionate about raising awareness for Cystic Fibrosis and how we as a community can support sufferers which is what I would also like to address in this blog.
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder where the build of a mucus effects the lungs and digestive system leading to coughing, breathing problems and poor weight gain. Cystic Fibrosis is the second most common life-shortening inherited disorder which there is currently no cure for, however, many CF sufferers receive many medical procedures and medication to help manage their condition. 10 years ago the life expectancy of a person with Cystic Fibrosis was around 18 years but today it is around 35 years. Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis have improved greatly in the last few years, however, more still needs to be done. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust is a great UK based charity that offers research, treatment and support to CF patients and their families but the fight to beat Cystic Fibrosis continues. Millions of pounds are invested towards Cancer Research every year and though nobody should have to live with a life threatening illness of any kind, Cystic Fibrosis still goes slightly overlooked. Therefore I ask anyone reading this blog if you could please take a few minutes to educate yourself about Cystic Fibrosis and the ways you can help by following the link below:
Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis is a genetic disorder where the build of a mucus effects the lungs and digestive system leading to coughing, breathing problems and poor weight gain. Cystic Fibrosis is the second most common life-shortening inherited disorder which there is currently no cure for, however, many CF sufferers receive many medical procedures and medication to help manage their condition. 10 years ago the life expectancy of a person with Cystic Fibrosis was around 18 years but today it is around 35 years. Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis have improved greatly in the last few years, however, more still needs to be done. The Cystic Fibrosis Trust is a great UK based charity that offers research, treatment and support to CF patients and their families but the fight to beat Cystic Fibrosis continues. Millions of pounds are invested towards Cancer Research every year and though nobody should have to live with a life threatening illness of any kind, Cystic Fibrosis still goes slightly overlooked. Therefore I ask anyone reading this blog if you could please take a few minutes to educate yourself about Cystic Fibrosis and the ways you can help by following the link below:
http://www.cysticfibrosis.org.uk
Moreover you can also donate to my friend James Brooking's Just Giving page. James is a close friend of Lauren who recently did a two mile open water swim in Scotland's Loch Lomond in honour of our wonderful friend and to raise money for CFCF. The Cystic Fibrosis Comfort Fund (CFCF) is a small charity based in Bristol that provides support such as medical equipment, start up grants for young adults setting up first time homes, driving lessons and much more. This charity works hard to greatly improve the quality of life of sufferers of Cystic Fibrosis and since Lauren was treated in Bristol for many years it is close to our hearts so would mean a lot to us to keep her memory alive by helping this wonderful charity in any way possible. So I please invite anyone reading this blog to donate anything they can large or small to James' Just Giving page by following link below:
https://www.justgiving.com/James-Brooking/?utm_id=36
Finally I would like to wrap up this blog by saying I hope anyone reading this is able to grasp what a special person Lauren was and what she means to me and the people she has left behind. She is and always will be a personal hero of mine and in years to come I will still look back on the memories we shared together and smile. I would also like to express my greatest sympathies to Lauren's friends and family at this sad time - she truly is an amazing girl. My friend JJ, also wrote this amazing song called She Be Little as a tribute to Lauren so you can also show your support to him by checking it out by following the link below:
https://www.facebook.com/jj.rudge/videos/10205861280746086/?pnref=story
Thank you for taking the time to read this and farewell from me, the Ginger Pixie and farewell to my little friend, I will miss you terribly. Sleep tight doll!
xxx
No comments:
Post a Comment