A reluctant farewell.......

This week has been pretty tragic with the death of an old friend and dear friend Yuko. I have known Yuko since I was about seven years old when she moved to NZ from Japan with her husband Sang. Over the years they had three children whom I looked after in my spare time and eventually every day after school while I was at college. Three years ago she was diagnosed with cancer of the colon, which spread to her liver and then to her lungs. For three years she has has multiple operations, treatments and therapy's. All of them collectively have enabled her to see her oldest children finish school and go onto university. Yumi, her youngest, is still at Wellington Girls and has been so wonderful over the past few weeks. Yuko chose to die at home so for the last week the living room was turned into a hospital room, including a fabulous lazy boy chair that Yumi bought for Yuko in her last few days so she could have some comfort.

The last couple of days, comfort has only been obtained by drugs. It is an awful process to watch someone you love die. The wierd thing is, in the end, it's all you want for them as you know it will end thier pain and suffering, and ease the hardship of those affected. I stayed with Yuko on Sunday night, which was probably the last time she was really lucid, she was still drinking and eating morsels. I hope that euthaniasia becomes a choice soon. Watching someone die of starvation and thirst while thier organs fail makes you realise how important that choice is.

Yuko has been a pretty important figure in my world. Always full of advice and care for me and my choices in life, I will always hear her authoritive voice in my head. In fact she would be the reason Rizification was concieved - she would always ring my flat and ask for Riz, and thus I became. She bought culture and colour into my world as a child, and opened my eyes to a new language, new foods and new people. She bought friendship and conversation in to my world as an adult.. There are so many things to remember, and so many things never to forget. I was very very lucky to have her in my life and I will miss her and love her always.