Love Kirsten
I want to tell you about my friend, Kirsten.
About 3 months ago I was at a craft fair at Smiling Hill Farm in Westbrook, Maine. I spent most of the craft fair on my phone and some of it crying. My friend, Kirsten, was fighting for her life.
I met Kirsten when she was 5 years old! I was a college student and her daddy was in charge of our college cafeteria. I was the ice cream scooper and soon Kirsten was scooping ice cream with me! I babysat Kirsten. We roamed the campus and the area together, going to softball games and the mall and just hanging out at her house. She even had a sleepover in my dorm! One of the lessons here is to never underestimate the influence you can have in the life of a child. Or a child can have in your life.
Kirsten moved. I finished college, got married, had children. Years later, I received a friend request on Facebook from Kirsten. She had somehow found me, which was no small feat as I had a different last name and even so, my name is far from unique. Kirsten came to Maine to spend one of her college spring breaks with our family.
Our friendship grew. Three and a half years ago, Kirsten got married. Within months of getting married, Kirsten was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia.
Kirsten underwent treatment and reached remission. In the summer of 2017, Kirsten and her husband came to Maine to visit us. I was thrilled, but thought, “Of all the places you could go to celebrate your remission, you want to come stay in my basement?” Again, never underestimate the impact your life can have on another.
We had a wonderful visit. Kirsten was an enthusiastic, curious, extroverted, talkative, bright person. We talked into the wee hours many nights. We visited Acadia National Park. We went camping. We made the best veggie burgers ever. (She said so.) We shared joys.
Two years ago Kirsten spent Christmas in the hospital, in order to get a stem cell transplant. In true Kirsten form, a year ago she put together little gifts for the people who, like her, would spend Christmas at UVA, due to a stem cell transplant. This is indicative of Kirsten. She was a powerful advocate for herself as well as others.
Kirsten was a writer and you can find online some of her writing, including an eye-opening piece about how challenging healthcare has been during her cancer journey. Kirsten loved people, she wanted to educate others about injustice and wanted to use her experiences to inform and help others.
Kirsten included Clara’s Creamery plain goat milk soap in her gifts to patients. A year ago she was collecting donations of bars. I matched each bar donated. She ended up with 24 bars of soap and made 24 gifts for patients. Kirsten said that including Clara’s Creamery plain soap was a “great gift because it is gentle on skin and won’t irritate the senses.” She knew this firsthand as she has been using soap since I made it, and found the plain soap to be what she needed as she went through treatment as well as the transplant.
Kirsten was an enthusiastic promotor of my business. She shared just about every Clara’s Creamery Facebook post. She purchased my soap and wanted others to purchase it too. She was thrilled to milk my goat! She posted that day, “Y’all. My ‘Heidi’ dreams came true tonight. I just milked a goat!”
November 2-3 this year I was at a craft fair in Bangor, and again spent a considerable amount of time on my phone. Early on November 4th I flew to Virginia. Kirsten’s husband graciously picked me up at the airport and I spent two and a half days visiting Kirsten at the UVA hospital in Charlottesville.
We had an extremely good visit. We laughed and joked, we shared good memories. Kirsten wanted to hear all about my family. I was able to share with Kirsten what she has meant to me and how she has impacted my life. I observed her husband’s tender and wise care of her. I saw Kirsten advocate for herself and others, all while on a ventilator, patiently repeating things when they weren’t understood the first time.
Before my trip I asked Kirsten what she wanted or needed. She asked me for some of Raye’s Mustard, a Maine-made mustard. I checked a bag just so I could fulfill her request! I asked if I could bring some plain soap for the stem cell transplant patients. She said yes. During my visit, I asked Kirsten’s nurse if she would mind getting the soap to the correct place. She delivered the soap to the floor and within a few minutes, three nurses from the stem cell floor came down. They wanted to see Kirsten! Two years ago she had been on that floor. A year ago she had delivered her gifts. I was privileged to witness their sweet visit.
On November 7th I flew back home to Maine. Five days later, my friend, Kirsten, passed away. She was 28 years old. It is incredibly sad and I am so sorry that her husband and her family have experienced this loss. However, I believe that there is coming a time when all will be well, when all that is wrong will be made right. I believe that Kirsten, a child of God, is in heaven and that one day I will see her again. This eternal perspective absolutely changes my earthly sorrow.
Kirsten’s friend, Abbie, is starting a nonprofit organization, Love Kirsten, as a beautiful legacy to honor her. I’m including a link to the Go Fund Me, which is how the organization will provide gifts for the stem cell transplant patients this year. (Click on that link for more information.) The gifts will include plain Clara’s Creamery soap. This is not a money-maker for me, the money will be covering costs. It is my joy that my soap will be included in these gifts. Please consider even a $5 donation to help patients, in honor of my dear friend, Kirsten. (You may have to copy & paste the link.)
https://www.gofundme.com/f/love-kirsten?utm_source=customer&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet