Loss.

Hello Everyone! I wanted to put a trigger warning at the beginning of this post. If you are at all triggered or angered by the topic of death, please click off this post as it will be discussing the topic at length. Before I get into the post, I just want to say that the woman I am about to talk about was one whom brought a light to so many people’s lives. She was not only a happy and beautiful soul who saw light even in the darkest of times, but also someone who never lost her appreciation for what she had no matter her circumstances. Although it might be incredibly sad for me to write this post, I know it is something that needs to be said. this is important for the world to know what and how a chronic illness affects someone and the impact those people can have on the world.

On April 29, 2019, our community lost a friend, a warrior and wife and a service dog handler, Jaquie. You might know her as Chronically Jaquie on YouTube and if you have not had the pleasure of watching her yet, I highly recommend that you do so when you have the chance. Like many others in our world, Jaquie battled multiple invisible illnesses such as Mitochondrial Disease, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, POTS, Gastroparesis, Mast Cell Activation Disorder and a few others. She was constantly battling these illnesses, but with the incredible help of her husband, and her service dog, friends and family she was able to live a very successful life and one full of accomplishments.

To many people in the service dog community, Jaquie is the person that introduced them to the idea and made them aware of the benefits they too could receive from a service dog. Not only that, but she constantly advocated for her medical illnesses and showed the world that just because you are chronically ill does not mean you spend every moment in the hospital.

She was a friend to many, including myself. Although she was taken much too soon from this world, I know that God has just called yet another angel to join him in his kingdom. Jaquie may not be on this earth physically, but her spirit will continue to live on throughout the lives of the many people she has touched with her kindness and inspiration. It is not my place to be telling exactly how she passed away, but I know that no matter when she was taken, she was taken into the most peaceful place a person can go.

Loosing someone important in your life, but although I cried for hours yesterday, today I understand that instead of crying, Jaquie would want all of us to advocate for ourselves. She would ask us to carry on her legacy even if she didn’t have the chance to, so today I pledge to do exactly that. She may not be on this earth any longer, but if as a community keep the advocacy for chronic illness going, she will never be forgotten and always be remembered.

I ask that all of you understand that each family needs space and time. Please do not try and comment questions on her personal life or how she died on this post. It is not my business to be sharing information about her death, but know that she was someone who inspired so many people to be chronic illness warriors and to “keep moving forward”. We love you Jaquie and we hope that you finally are free of pain and suffering. Loss is difficult, but what makes it better is that fact that although a person is not with us any longer, they are no longer suffering.