A star disapperaed from view this week.
Wendi Baron-Willette, my friend since we were 14 years old, passed away this week. Wendi was one of the brightest stars I have ever met. She was the most positive, upbeat person I knew. Things didn’t always break Wendi’s way, but she always seemed to make the most of every situation.
Through high school and college, Wendi was like a sister to me. I knew that she was the one person I could turn to who, without judgement, would always be there for me. It never mattered how bleak things looked, Wendi always found a way to see the positive side of things. When my brother passed away, she was the one person who picked me up, brushed me off, and pushed me onward. Every time I needed her, she never disappointed.
I remember the night Wendi told me she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. Having recently lost my friend Steve to cancer, hearing Wendi was beginning her own battle choked me up. Wendi, being Wendi, told me that everything was going to be fine. She explained to me what her prognosis meant and how she would be treated. By the time she was done, Wendi had made me feel better. Imagine that, she told me she had cancer and she spent the evening making me feel better.
To truly understand Wendi, you need to hear it from her husband, Keith. Keith, like Wendi, is one of the kindest individuals one could know. Shortly after Wendi began her battle, Keith wrote an essay about his wife and entered her story in a contest sponsored by CVS called For All The Ways You Care. The contest involved a nationwide search for inspirational stories of caring. The contest drew thousands of stories, but Keith’s inspirational essay about his wife was selected as one of the nine finalists. Here is her story in his words:
This week the world lost a great mother, wife, daughter, sister, and friend. There will be many tears shed for Wendi, for she is widely loved. But Wendi will be just like the sun at the end of a beautiful day, for as darkness sets in the moon lights the way. Just as the moon gets its light from the sun, Wendi’s light will shine from the people she loved.
A star may have disappeared this week, but her light will continue to shine.
Please help this bright star to continue to shine and donate to the Wendi Baron-Willette Memorial Fund. c/o Christopher Heights of Worcester, Mary Scano Drive, Worcester, MA 01605.
