in loving memory of Moni

Hello, my name is Lucia and I am fundraising in loving memory of my life-long best friend Monica Grau Blanco.

Moni and I met in pre-primary at the age of 3 and we became inseparable ever since. We grew up together completely attached at the hip, copying each other's hobbies so we could spend every afternoon together and even insisting in rocking the same hairstyle. It was difficult not to be attached to Moni, she was a fun, charming, intelligent, hard-working although a bit lazy sometimes, caring friend. I shared with Moni a life of many firsts. Our first crush, our first new years eve party, our first "graduation" ceremony, our first school play, our first time in detention, our first sleepover, our first "heartbreak"... The list could in all honestly go on for many many paragraphs. I love my friend Moni and thinking of my childhood is thinking of her. I wish I could have continued my whole life making new memories with her. However, around 9 years ago Moni really started to struggle. Many years later she was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder and sadly she passed away this January. She was an incredibly strong person who fought so hard for a very long time, but ultimately she deserved to rest. We will always miss her.

Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is one of those illnesses which one cannot see. It is a condition which affects every second of your life, how you think, how you feel, how you interact with others... I cannot even begin to imagine what Moni, or the other 1 in a 100 people which live with BPD, have to go through every single day. What I do know is that I am forever grateful of Moni for sharing her life with me. Many were not aware of Moni's condition, and that is completely okay because that was her decision, however we are now fundraising in order to donate as much as we can to help those with BDP. Therefore, the funds raised will be destined to research, care and support of those impacted by BPD. The exact charity is yet to be determined as I am currently speaking with various psychiatrist and organisations to see which is the best fit and I would like to get her family's approval of the funds destination before fully committing. Furthermore, 20% of the total amount raised will be set aside for charities destined to the care of struggling animals, in particular dogs and horses, as that is what brought Moni most happiness and joy in this world (and we want to donate to the charity that she rescued her beloved puppy from). In order to raise this funds I will be doing various typical fundraising activities such as running a marathon (hopefully by may) and any other activities anyone suggest. The amount mentioned is just a number, there is no set in stone target so any amount donated is more than perfect.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and think of Moni.

If you do donate, I don't know what to say other than thank you so so much.

Finally, Moni gracias por compartir conmigo muchos de los recuerdos mas felices de mi vida. Desde Jose Soriano, hasta las tardes en el conser, cuando nos vestimos de falleras, las paellas en cantral o los muchisimos cotilleos en las piscis de la urba. Voy a guardar esos momentos en lo mas profundo de mi corazon y los llevare conmigo siempre. Se que siempre nos quisimos muchisimo, incluso a pesar de la distancia, y siento de verdad no haber podido estar ahi siempre que me hayas necesitado. Has sido una gran amiga y una preciosa persona.

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