Growing up, I can say that I was one of the luckiest people in the world. I was lucky enough to have called Amanda my very best friend from the moment we met on Hunters crest dr. Being next-door neighbors with my best friend Amanda was truly a blessing. She was the type of friend/person that you could tell anything to and do anything with (which is exactly what we did). With our many, many (and I mean many) sleepovers we had with each other, I was able to share my laughs, my cries, my boy crushes, my joy, and my smiles with the most amazing person that never judged or questioned you, but instead, joined in with me. One sleepover that I will never forget was when Amanda fainted and was rushed to the hospital. I remember feeling helpless. I knew there was nothing I could've done. However, there was. It was to be right by her side. Amanda was always in and out of the hospital, trying to figure out what was going on with her body. Almost every time she was in the hospital, I knew the best thing I could do was hold her hand. After a long day of school and then swim practice, I would drive the hospital and hold her hand and get her mind off of all the medicine and procedures. Let me tell you this, when I say we had the most fun in a hospital that you can ever have, I mean it. We did everything that a person can do while being in the hospital which included very very intense games of Wii, card games, and even running around on the playground in the hospital. Once Amanda was officially diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension, she was told she couldn't do as much as others. Well, anyone knowing Amanda knows very well that she was not going to listen to that statement and she will do anything she sets her mind to. And she in fact did. She swam in her pool when it was hot. She went sledding when it was cold. Nothing stopped her. With that being said, she never let her disease define her. A couple of years ago, Amanda told me all about this new camp called North Star that she wanted to attend. It was a camp meant for kids like her that wouldn't let their disease define them. I could tell how excited she was. She ended up going to the camp and I had never seen so much joy in a person. She continued to go every year and make more friends that knew and understood what she felt. Before Amanda passed away, she wanted to continue the growth of North Star and encourage kids like her to have as much fun as she did. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of Amanda, but by raising awareness and fundraising, I am able to know that she is looking down at all of us and dancing around with that great big smile of hers. I will be running a 5K on October 2nd to raise funds for Amanda. Please consider donating to this non-profit for team Amanda by clicking on the link. Thank you all!
