This is one of the most difficult things I’ve had to write. My dear friend Alaina woke up this past Sunday, Mothers Day, to find that her incredible daughter, Ansley, had passed away in her sleep. The loss of a child is something no parent should ever experience.  I met Alaina in 7th grade. We’ve been through so much together - junior high, high school, weddings, baby showers, birthday parties. Ansley and her twin brother Hayden were flower girl and ring bearer at my wedding in 2003. Never did I imagine that I would someday be writing this, just a week before their 20th birthday. And today, the day she should be walking across the stage to celebrate the one thing she fought for more than anything else, her high school graduation, is just 2 days after her passing. From an early age, Ansley struggled with multiple food allergies and intolerances. She was much too familiar with hospitals, emergency rooms and medical devices than anyone should be. She had a feeding tube for much of her life, multiple central lines and endless surgeries. She had to travel the country to find the specialized care she desperately needed and yet was so difficult to find. She could write books on the first-hand knowledge of the conditions she had and was her own biggest advocate, second to her mother. Among her chronic health issues were Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE), Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), Ehler’s Danlos Syndrome (EDS), Median Arcuate Ligament Syndrome (MALS) and even more comorbid conditions. As a young teen, she was invited to join Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Children’s Advisory Board (CAB). She became an advocate for kids and adults like herself, and vowed to educate others and fight for the rights of those in the world of complex chronic illnesses. She wasn’t afraid to get up in front of dozens, hundreds or more, and speak about her experiences to educate others. She loved her brother Hayden and knew she could always count on him to be there, even through his own struggles.  My heart is broken for Alaina, Matt, Hayden, her family and the many people throughout the world, whose lives she touched in immeasurable ways.  Please join me to help ease the burden of burial expenses for Ansley’s family.