Jackson wasn’t directly involved with this website or the work we’re doing for Darcy and others. That’s because she was fighting her own battle – with cancer. I just found out that she lost that battle a little while ago. I saw her again at the fundraising event we had a few weeks ago. I can’t say she was a friend of mine in the traditional sense of the word, but I wish she had been. She was a wonderful person. It was a shock to see her again and realize what she was going through. At the same time, her spirit was in no way diminished by her circumstances. It was a joy to see after so long.

She was one of those people who always made you smile and be grateful to have been in her presence. Spending time with her made you happy to have done so, and her joy of life was infectious. I hadn’t seen her for a while, but, despite her own trials, I thought it was fitting to to her again —and for the last time—at an event where we all got together to celebrate Darcy’s own life. Nobody really knows how they will adapt to, or be be changed by, adversity. For Jackson, it make no difference. She went through her own struggles, but she still had a love for life that was never diminished by anything she went through.

Life really has nothing to do with wealth, power, or fame. The only things that really matter in the end are joy, happiness, and sharing the time you have with others. There is a love for life that bleeds through the edges of common interaction. As I reflect on my own life, there are several people who I can point to who have been important to me—whether I’ve told them or not. Jackson is one of those. And not because she tried to be, just because she was by simply being herself.

I loved her, and I will miss her. But we are all part of this world—and nothing is ever really lost. She will stay a part of me, and everybody else whose life she touched.