I think the time is come to talk about my friend Emma. At the end of July this year, Emma lost her battle with cancer. I know lots of people have this battle, and I know many people lose the battle, but she was such a live wire I thought she might make it through relatively unscathed. You know, just be in and out of hospital quite a few times.

Sadly, this wasn’t the case.

Mind you, I think she really said just how serious the diagnosis was. Not that she would. Emma was all about positivity, and she made everything a game or, at very least, a reason to party.

There is no way she would want anybody to be sad, so I will tell you about the happy memories I have.

I met Emma at university, and she was the only one I remained in contact with. Once I left university I didn’t see her very much; we mainly spoke through Facebook, emails, or even the occasional letter. She was my writing partner in that I would send them my work to look through for mistakes before I sent it to anybody else. She never sent me anything over that she had done as though it is not like I can share anything of that.

During our university days, she showed me that her weirdo magnet was impressively strong. I don’t know if she told anybody about this, but I am sure it will make you laugh. We were just in a bar when this guy came over and started chatting to us. He was strange. At first, we thought he was wearing makeup, but we slowly realised that he had tattooed around his eyes to make them black. Who would do that, like ever? Over the next few weeks she was telling me she kept seeing him at bus stops and things like that.

The most fun I had was my 21^st birthday party. She came down to stay with me that night. The party itself went well, but memories of Emma are definitely from the following hours. It’s just as party was wrapping up she stood in the middle of the room to inform us we all spoke funny. (She was a Brummie, and the rest of us came from Northamptonshire) we the ones talking funny? LOL!

Following that, she disappeared there when it was time to get home we went to find her, so she wasn’t left in some place she didn’t know. That was when she emerged from inside a brush. Emma would insist that this did not happen for the rest of the night and until the end of her life. However, it did!

You would think that would be where it ended, but no.

Back at home with quite a large group, Emma got locked in my ensuite bathroom. Normally, this would have normally been disturbing, but that bathroom had no lock! The fact she got locked in there at all is a complete mystery. It ended with my friend proving it was impossible by opening and closing door saying hello every time it opened.

After that, I did not see her until her 30^th when Emma tried magnetic earrings for the first time. She spent the night complaining about how much they were hurting, but she never took them off.

Emma seemed to move from one disaster to another so the day I received a message from Facebook telling me that she was in the hospital after smashing her pelvis was just like another day of being Emma’s friend! Fortunately by then she had the one good thing in life, her boyfriend and rock, Bryan. It was because of him that she put a usual positive spin on things. The only real thing she ever said to me about her cancer was that it was common in older men, though she was the exception. Fairly typical Emma comment!

There are so many things about her that just made you smile and always will.

Just remember, up in heaven there is an angel with the Halo on crooked, and tripping over the gown… That’s Emma!

Bryan Adams says it best… I will never meet another a life like yours.