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.

I’m one of the members of the RABIT Foundation, the administrator of this website, and an advisor on technology issues. I’m also the “resident editor” of our written material. It helps that I have a philosophy degree, and a long career in the computer and software industries.  (Because that’s clearly the career path that somebody with my academic background should choose….) In addition to that, I’m currently employed as a technical editor.

I first met Gina Dee about 8 years ago when I hired her to renovate the condo I lived in at the time. Much to our mutual surprise, I had a keen aesthetic mind and something of a natural affinity towards interior design. It’s almost always the case that designers and their clients don’t get along—and it’s often better for designers to keep their clients at arm’s length so work can progress unhindered. In our case, we almost never disagreed on anything— when we did it was minor—and we were both excited to hear the other’s ideas. It was an easy decision to work with her again on a subsequent update to the condo, as well as on an even bigger renovation of the house I moved into after selling the condo.

Gina and I ended up as friends. For several years now I’ve been talking with her about Darcy, offering advice and support when I could, and generally maintaining an interest in the health and welfare of her older sister. We frequently tossed ideas back and forth about what a “Darcy House” could look like—its size, facilities, location, that sort of thing. This was all something of an intellectual exercise until things got to the point with Darcy that it became urgent we do something sooner rather than later.

I know there are more people in Darcy’s situation than just Darcy. Although we have started this foundation with her as the catalyst, and named it after her, there are surely many other people we can help to live better lives too. While I know that each of us touches the lives of other people in an uncountable number of ways, and none of us leave this world without leaving some kind of an impression behind, it’s seldom that—parenthood aside!— anybody gets a chance to do something that they can point to objectively as an accomplishment that they are proud of. I’m proud of this, and of all of the people I’ve worked with so far.