In Loving Memory

She’d tell me I was acting old, then giggle at the length of my sideburns.
She’d rail on Sarah Palin, then build a mosque in her front yard.
She’d eat more hot dogs than any grown woman should.
If only, she were here.

She was care-free and irreverent.
She was unforgettable.
Bookish and charming.
Beautiful.

On June 16th, 1999 she was a month into her twenties,
When small piece of candy, coated in peanut oil, claimed her life.
I remember driving to the hospital.
I remember the doctor shaking their head.

Everything stops when they unplug your friend.
I squeezed her mother and sister’s hand.
I couldn’t bear to look at her father.
I wept openly.

On August 16th, 2010 I pledged $100 in her memory.
For her family.
For families with allergic children.
For my six year old niece.

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A parent should never bury their child. Help support Amy Jane Gruber and others like her. http://www.foodallergywalk.org/goto/amyjanegruber