My heart goes out, and hurts, for my Mother's dear friend Brenda who lost her son PJ last week. He was barely 26 years old and passed away just as he was finally on his way to receiving a very long awaited kidney transplant at Stanford.
I remember the first time I saw him, I had never seen a baby wearing eyeglasses before and he was so cute. Later, I would learn that he had a rare medical condition that, among other things, caused him to begin to lose his sight at an early age. His family would visit often when I still lived at home with my parents. I remember babysitting for him and his brother Andy a few times and they were wonderful, energetic little boys and I have such fond memories of them and their family. I did not really know PJ as a teenager or an adult except through the occasional things that my Mother would pass along to me in conversation.
I do know that he was a truly exceptional person and that he will be missed by many people. I know he was sweet. I know he busted boundaries. I know he was extremely intelligent. I know that I was blessed to have known him for a little while. I know he had an amazing smile. I also know that now he is in the loving arms of his Father in heaven, and for that we are all smiling.
In 2002, I borrowed all of my Mom's VHS and transferred hundreds of family clips from the tapes onto my computer. I just uploaded this one, I think it's about 20 years old, and this is how I remember PJ.
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