Catherine

So, today I found out that we lost a wonderful lady in our Hemophilia Community. I was looking for an obituary for a co worker who recently passed when I stumbled upon my dear friend Catherines. It is a very hard way to find out that someone you loved has died. I first met Catherine when I got involved with the Hemophilia Society about 5 or 6 years ago. We met at a Women and Bleeding Disorders conference and really got to learn a lot about each other. Over the years we became good friends and she became a mentor and source of inspiration for me. I remember Catherine telling me about two years ago at the annual Christmas party that she had been diagnosed with lung cancer. I was shocked and scared for her but she sounded great and so positive about the whole thing. She said they were gonna treat it and that she wasn't ready to go and before I knew it she was comforting me. I remember thinking why would someone as wonderful as Catherine have to live with Hemophilia her whole life and now be diagnosed with Cancer? It didn't seem fair. After a few months her and I began meeting every couple of weeks and discussed writing her memoirs. Catherine had such a full and beautiful life that there just isn't any way to capture it in one blog post, book or obituary.

She has such a huge personality and she always looked fabulous. I remember visiting her in the hospital one time and even then she looked well put together. She was lying in the hospital bed with a beautiful outfit on and her feet up reading something interesting I'm sure. I asked if she would like me to rub her feet for her and we sat and laughed and chatted for a long time.

I feel sad that someone as wonderful as that is gone. I feel sad that I she may never know how many lives she has touched over the years not only in her work as a professional counselor but her many years of volunteer work with the Canandian Hemophilia Society.

 She means a lot of different things to different people. All I can say is that to me she was hope, she was inspiration that no matter what happens in life you can come out on top.

For anyone reading this who knew Catherine you can write condolences to her family here http://www.mhfh.com/hordos-catherine-ann-lilian/