Penny and I have never met.  We have shared laughs and tears, emails and phone calls, but not met in person.  It already feels as if I have known her forever and it is one of my sincerest wishes that we get the opportunity to get together on our way up North this year.
 
While searching for other people dealing with cancer, I found her blog and was incredibly touched by her story, her grace and tenacity in dealing with her lung cancer.  I liked the way she wrote and after reading her blog, I felt better!  How could one feel better after reading about a person dealing with terminal cancer? Her story was tremendously touching and so real that I wrote to her  telling her that I thought she was quite a lady - and that was the beginning of quite a story and a great friendship!
 
Shortly after we started emailing, "The Penny" materialized at one of my painting classes.  This amazing lady was in my mind all day long, and my bowl really looked more like a smiley faced apple, so the painting grew into a salute to my friend Penny...............  The bug crawled up on the bowl, just as they creep into our lives when we least expect it.  The little smiles in small odd places tell of the happiness and joy and treasures we find in the most unexpected of places.  The penny in the bowl - Penny, she really stands out as one in a million!  That smile on the apple is what happens when I think of her.
 
After a few weeks of talking about the importance of funds for research and the need to Pay Forward, the idea of Pennies For Cancer was born........  With the incredible help of Adi, the input from many friends and family members on both sides the site is now up and running.  We have a good few items of artwork available for download in exchange for a donation to either The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or the Alberta Cancer Center for cancer research.  This is a project that we both know will be successful and will make a clear difference in the fight against cancer.
 
It is wonderful that with Penny in Alberta, Canada; me in Chattanooga Tennessee and Adi in East Canada - that we could make www.penniesforcancer.com grow wings and fly!
 
Our first main stop along the road north on the RoadRunnersUSA journey will be in Edmonton, Alberta to meet Penny and her family.  I have been truely blessed by this lady, so fortunate to have had the opportunity of knowing her. I cannot wait to meet her in person!
 
Penny - you are one of the most amazing people I know  - thank you SO much for the incredible amount of positive input you have in my life.
 
I treasure you - you will always be in my heart.
 
 
 
See Ya, Penny!
 
Penny passed away gently on 24th October 2006 while being held by her husband, Michael.  The tears will take a good while before they stop even though I am thankful that her pain is now over.
 
Penny has been an incredible inspiration to me, she will always bring a smile to my face and inspire me to look for the good in any situation, never to give up but to look facts squarely in the face and deal with them in the most positive way possible.  She will always live in my heart and so many other aspects of my life. 
 
Our first stop on the RoadrunnersUSA trip was to meet Penny and it was wonderful!  She has a sparkle in her eye, a cheekiness and a smile that is simply heartwarming.  Her positive vibe was humbling and her sense of humor, delicous.   It was wonderful to be there with her and to be able to chat face to face. Meeting Michael, her children, sisters and their families was so special too.  There was so much love in that room when we were all together that its not surprising that she could give so much love - there was a constant refill available, not that she needed it!
 
At that stage, she was already dealing with an unpleasant amount of pain.  It was an incredibly helpless feeling watching her go through that, but she still wore that quirky smile - while we could see anyway.  Saying our goodbyes that last day we were there was totally heartbreaking.  I wanted to stay, needed to go, needed to stay and never wanted her to go!  We cried. And said "See Ya" through fast falling tears.
 
Penny, I will see you in songs, smiles, hopes, stories and dreams.  I will remember your love, your courage, warmth and caring for me as well as for so many people you never even met.  I will honor your life and celebrate it too by doing the very best I can to help PenniesForCancer.com continue to make a difference in as many positive ways as it can.  Thank you, my friend, thank you for so many things.
 
You always will be one incredible lady and I will always treasure you.
 
*Hugs*
Annie
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