Tanya Nicole Johnson

Have you ever had a friend who you could tell anything to and you know you are not being judged? Someone who you knew would be there for you anytime you needed them? Someone who you were friends with in high school and junior high but not good friends with them?

After high school and really not until about 2009 did I become such great friends with Tanya. She is absolutely AMAZING! Tanya and I grew up together and were friends in high school. We had different interests and kind of stuck to those and what we knew in high school. I wish I would have hung out with her more back, I never knew how much alike we were and how funny, outgoing, caring, loving, she was. She is honestly a one of a kind Tanya! There is no other Tanya like her.

While Kyle was in Iraq serving his 2nd tour Tanya and I became really good friends. We hung out all the time and we had fun! She was there for me when I needed to talk, cry, needed a break. She was always just a phone call or text away. When Konner was DX with Neuroblastoma cancer Tanya and all my friends were there! Specifically Tanya and my friend Tobi helped watch my other 2 kids when Kyle and I were in the hospital with Konner. I was blessed with such a great support system and am so thankful to my Heavenly Father for that.

You see Tanya was DX (diagnosed) with a rare form of Cervical Cancer last year (2012) at the young age of 27. She has undergone so much to try and get healthy again and live a normal life! She endured chemo, radiation, surgeries, blood transfusions, platelet transfusion and numerous pokes and ER visits. She has Been on trial studies and had to be away from family for different doctors visits in Chicago. I mean you name it she has probably been through it. "T" as I always called her was a trooper. Never once did she complain about the hand she was dealt. Even when I would tell her "T its ok to tell me how you really feel." T and I had that one thing in common in a way. I had a son with cancer and knew to a point what she was going through. Anger, sadness, heart ache, depression, hope, faith, courage. All of it!! CANCER SUCKS! and it SUCKS THE LIFE OUT OF YOU!

Still Tanya kept going, she fought for herself, for her boyfriend, her family, nieces and nephew, her friends. TANYA FOUGHT and NEVER EVER GAVE UP! But she was tired and worn out and tired and worn out. She just wanted to be pain free and her last chance and hope was to go to Utopia Wellness Center in Florida. So she left for Florida on October 13, 2013. In September of this year Tanya for the 2nd time was told by doctors that there was nothing else they could do for her but to keep her comfortable. Her cancer was spreading like a wildfire and they couldn't stop it. T and her family knew there had to be something out there that could at least give her a chance. She choose the wellness center in Florida. While there I didnt get to talk to her much. She was busy with a set schedule and was always going. I did get to talk to her on Thursday the 24 of October. She seemed upbeat about some good news they just got from one of her doctors there. I scolded her on losing so much weight and said you better start eating missy. and she LOL'd me and said she is trying and is actually eating a little better but that her appetite was hardly there. We talked about how we wish we saw each other more and how I wish I could have seen her when she was at the balloon fiesta in NM. She asked about my boys and how we were doing. She said she was really tired from all the schedules and I asked her when she would know if what they were doing was working. And she said they were going to do scans in about a week to see how she was doing. We said out goodbyes and I told her how much I loved her and how good of a friend she was.

And just like that she was gone....... I read a post from her sister that she was admitted to the hospital on Friday night with chest pain and shortness of breath. She couldn't breath and she decided to be intubated. I text her sister and told her to please keep me updated. She said that her whole family flew out to Florida to be by T and say their goodbyes. Tanya Nicole Johnson passed away on Monday October 28, 2013 surrounded by her loving family.

I am so blessed and honored to be able to say I know Tanya Johnson she was my friend. She was such an amazing friend to me and my family. I will miss our random texts to each other, her laugh, smile and big hugs! I will miss being able to call her when i go to az and see if she wants to meet up. I will miss her dog sitting for me. I will miss everything about her. I know she is not in pain and that she is happy where she is. But I honestly am selfish and wish she was still here. I have cried and cried and here I am typing away and crying. This is something I have been wanting to share and to keep for myself. So I can be reminded about her and how much she meant to me. I will never stop talking about her and will always remember her. I will strive to be more forgiving to people and more giving. Because you never know when someone whether close to you or not will be taken away. I know Tanya is up there and talking to my dad and they are looking down on me and my family.

I will say it again......... CANCER SUCKS!!!!