Sometimes someone comes along who just touches you and you never forget them. Pash was that person.

I met Pash just the once, at the 4Networking Xmas party in 2008. She was tall and slim and beautiful and friendly and confident and awe-inspiring, in many ways. We kept in touch on the forum and in occasional emails and when I started my new business she offered support and help and inspired me to go for it.

Last summer Pash was diagnosed with breast cancer. She had chemotherapy and a mastectomy but had a fantastic positive attitude about it all and organised a fundraiser in Bournemouth which raised over £5000 for Tenovus, a cancer charity. She blogged about her journey and continued to inspire many.

At Xmas she discovered that the cancer had spread to her brain, liver and lung. Again her positive mental attitude kicked in and despite knowing her time was limited, she continued to blog and contribute to the networking forum, and her sense of humour never went away. As recently as February she and I exchanged emails and in one of them she said: “I enjoy your updates more than you’d imagine and like having you ‘about’.  Stay happy, sweetie xxxx”. Touched me that my random ramblings on Facebook could be giving her a giggle. She offered to take on any bits of work I needed doing – to stop her getting bored – and even emailed my 15 year old daughter and suggested some ways that they could work together!

4Networkers around the country joined forces to raise money to give Pash and her boyfriend the holiday of a lifetime – their first, and probably last, holiday together. I wanted to do my bit to help so as well as taking collections at meetings, I organised an auction; generous members of my four groups (and people further afield) donated fab lots and we raised over £1500. The deal was that whatever money wasn’t used on the holiday would go to Tenovus.

Sadly I heard tonight that Pash had died. She was taken into hospital a week ago with pneumonia and went downhill fast. This afternoon she married the love of her life in what’s been described as a beautiful wedding and then Pash slipped away peacefully, and when she was ready, surrounded by friends, family and her new husband.

Many people have fond memories of Pash, but perhaps the one most people will remember her for is her solo dance routine to Summer of 69 at the Xmas party. Fortunately we have a little bit of Pash forever in the video

News of her death was reported on the 4Networking forum, after her friends had been  contacted directly. In the 90 minutes after the post went up, it had over 1000 views and 50 responses. That’s how much Pash was loved.

I haven’t stopped crying all evening.
Pash was 35, and truly beautiful, inside and out.
Farewell Pash. I miss you.