Last night I found out I lost a friend. Jason Brightfield, who I lived with for the better part of four years of college, passed away this week. Sweet Pea, as he was nicknamed freshman year, had been suffering from cancer for a few years, and those of us who knew him didn't think the disease had much of a chance. After all, Jason was the most organized, put-together, in shape, dedicated guy I've ever known. He fought off cancer a few times, but in the end, the disease won.
If he can die so young, what does that say about the rest of us? It's beyond weird to think that he wrote a blog post just eight days ago, one that indicated things were down but certainly not out. "Surreal" does not begin to describe how sudden this happened, but at the very least, he's not in pain anymore. Let his passing be a reminder to all of us just how mortal we are. Live every day, people.
My words can't sum up his life justly, so I'd like to link to some that do a much better job. Allison wrote
a lovely blog post in the wee hours of this morning, and it includes a line that is so spot on about Jason that it made me laugh out loud: "He had this captivating personality, hysterical observations and very specific time lines for the completion of tasks." Additionally, Jason wrote a hilarious, inspiring and honest
letter to cancer in late July. Please read it.
You'll be missed, Jason.
Labels: Jason Brightfield, RIP
