It is crazy to think about how people come in and out of your life. Everyone has had friendships come and go. We sometimes understand why but others we cannot accept. It was my junior year in high school, swim practice ended, and I was getting ready to go home. When I checked my phone, I had a few misses calls from people and notifications from different social media platforms. I got a voicemail from my athletic director asking me to call her when I got her message. I was confused why she wanted to talk to me and the tone of her voice sounded serious. Once I checked Facebook, my whole world stopped, and I broke down in the locker room crying.
On March 21st, 2014 my friend Michelle Farnsworth was diagnosed with RMS (rhabdomyosarcoma). Everyone knew Michelle as an amazing swimmer and field hockey player. I was fortunate to play field hockey with her in high school. She fought cancer with courage, grace, and with a smile on her face. Even if there were weeks that were tough for her, it never brought her spirit down. During the fall of 2014, her battle against cancer became more aggressive, but she was a warrior. She had a lot of ups and downs, but she was able to come to every single field hockey playoff game that year. In January of 2015, her cancer had spread more places than they thought, and her body could not take it anymore. On January 13th, 2015 she passed away at home surrounded by her family. It will always be the saddest day for the Farnsworth's family and for everyone that knew her.
It seems like yesterday that Michelle and I were on the field, practicing and just messing around. I am not able to comprehend her death, how someone healthy got a rare form cancer out of the blue. The best way to deal with a loss is by keeping her memory alive. My friend and I started The Michelle Farnsworth Field Hockey Tournament. The tournament started in the summer of 2014 to raise money for her medical bills. When Michelle passed away, we still wanted to honor her memory. Since then, we have organized the Michelle Farnsworth Field Hockey Tournament to raise money for her scholarship foundation. We have field hockey teams across Massachusetts in high school and college to come together and honor Michelle. The Michelle Farnsworth Scholarship Fund awards scholarships to high school students who never stop smiling, go above and beyond for others and have a passion for what they do like Michelle did. Michelle was not just an athlete but an amazing artist. When Michelle was sick, and, in the hospital, she'd be in treatment for five to seven days. One of the ways for her to fight through the pain was doing art. That was her comfort, that was her therapy. Michelle was a talented artist and her family wanted her work to be share. With the help of technology, I was able to turn pieces of her artwork into stickers and sell them on Society6. Now everyone can her artwork everywhere they go.
Michelle continues to be an inspiration to me and to those that didn't know her but who have heard her story. She is the reason why I live my day to the fullest and to think positive. We all have our rough days, but there is always someone else out there who is going through a lot worse. I am thankful to live another day and being able to do the things I love. Although my time with Michelle was short, I know she is smiling up there and doing the things she loves. I continue to have that Michelle sprit in me and always end the day with a smile. Like Michelle always says, smile because life is too short to be anything but happy.
There will be one person missing in the crowd, but I know she'll be watching from above.