Blog of the Week

I originally posted about this particular blog back in January.  Today marks the one year anniversary of Cari's death and I wanted to acknowledge it in some small way.  I still think about her and her family from time to time and wonder how the kids are coping.  I'm hoping for an update from her husband today but honestly, he doesn't owe us anything and I'm sure the family will honor Cari in their own way. 

♥♥♥♥♥

You know how you look on other blogs sidebars and check out their favorite blogs?  You click on one that maybe has an interesting name and then you check out their favorites and link to another one and so on and so on?  That's how I stumbled across this one:

UnDomestic

I originally read what at that time was the very last post.  The originator of the blog, Cari Ashford, passed on on September 22, 2009.  This was the first time I've come across a blog where the originator had died.  I immediately wanted to read her story so I started at the beginning.

Cari's very first post was in July 2005.  It started out as any normal blog.  She was a Stay At Home Mom (SAHM) with two sons, Cameron and Max, and was pregnant with daughter Ella who was born in December of that same year.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading about her life and her family.  As she detailed the many hilarious antics of her children, I couldn't help but fall in love with them too!  She has a wonderful sense of humor and I'm sure that if we'd met in real life that she and I would be friends.

August 22, 2007 marked a whole new world for Cari; she discovered a large lump in her left breast.  She was diagnosed with Infiltrating Ductal Carcinoma and had a mastectomy the following month.  She received chemotherapy and radiation and in late summer 2008, she was given a clean bill of health.  Sadly, the cancer returned.

She had a brain tumor and eventually the cancer went to her spine.  She recounted her various treatments along with her attempts to keep everything normal for her children.  At the end, her mom kept the blog up to date as Cari became weaker and weaker.  The final post was written by her husband, letting everyone know that Cari had died.

I cried for Cari many, many times while reading her blog.  I had grown to love her like a close friend.  So when I got to the last post, I literally could.not.stop.crying!  Her loss touched me deeply and I miss her.

I didn't want to forget about Cari so I followed her blog.  I wanted to still be able to come back and read her story over and over again.  I'm not sure why I didn't just bookmark her blog to my favorites, I just felt it was important to follow her and come back to visit from time to time.  In January of this year, her husband posted an open letter to Cari.  As I read it, the pain of losing her all came rushing back.  I still feel the grief even today.  I can't even begin to imagine how her husband and three beautiful children must be coping.

May You Forever Rest In Peace

Cari Ashford

March 19, 1973 - September 22, 2009