“失去所爱的人，我有何收获？”

2017年1月，我失去了我最好的朋友Susan Z.，她享年60岁。她被诊断为乳腺癌第四期。她与这种疾病斗争了10年，尝试了各种形式的化疗和临床试验。

这些年来，她教会了我很多东西，但其中最重要的是，她从来没有让她的疾病限定她是什么样的人，或者她想做的事。她全力以赴地活着，知道生命是短暂的，她从未把自己活着的时间视为理所当然，她总是充实地度过每一天。

她还教了我其他的人生经验，比如说，只要有机会，就要与他人真正一对一地相处。她还教我，如果想拥有好朋友，你自己必须得是一个好朋友。

她还教给我笑的重要性，以及每个人不要把自己看得过于重要。她还把美食和美丽的密歇根火炬湖介绍给我。

我会带着感激之情和美好的回忆，永远把她记在心里。

-          Jill Elaine M.，58岁. 家庭主妇、退休护士，有抱负的花卉农场设计师. 威斯康星州沃索市.

In January 2017, I lost my best friend Susan Z. at the age of 60.  She was diagnosed with Stage 4 Breast Cancer. She fought this disease for 10 years, trying various forms of chemotherapy and clinical trials, to fight this disease.

 There are many lessons she taught me during these years, but most importantly she never let her disease define who she was or what she wanted to do.  She lived her life at full tilt, knowing life can be short, and never took for granted the time she had here, always living it to the fullest. 

She taught me other life lessons, such as really engaging with people on a one-to-one level whenever you have an opportunity. She also taught me that in order to have good friends you need to be a good friend yourself.

She taught me the importance of laughter and the need for individuals to not take themselves too seriously. She also introduced me to wonderful food and beautiful Torch Lake Michigan.

It is with gratitude and wonderful memories that I will always keep her close to my heart.

-          Jill Elaine M., 58. Homemaker, retired nurse, and aspiring floral farm designer Wausau, Wisconsin. “What I learned from losing a loved one