Dear Keri

I learned yesterday that a high school friend of mine is dying from ALS. She's 29. She's just had her first baby, and she can no longer hold the child.

Although we haven't really kept in touch through the years, I have seen Keri at the occasional neighborhood event - most notably, Chicken Stew.

She's always been beautiful, popular, and successful. When I was younger, I was jealous because of her gifts. Now that I'm older and wiser, I'm not jealous of Keri's gifts any longer, because I realize my own. Even in the throes of her disease, she's still beautiful, popular, and successful. What a wonderful testament to her spirit.

You can read about Keri and her struggle with ALS, the challenges she's having and the support she's getting from her family and friends here, courtesy of the Winston-Salem Journal. If you'd like to see the outpouring of support she's getting from the community, check out the website her friend, Jennifer Lassiter, is keeping for her here.

I might add that the best quote in the article is the one with which it ends, courtesy of Jennifer: "At 29, I never thought I'd be helping my best friend die." How telling. Keri's obviously got an irreplaceable friend in her.