RIP Howard Fisher. We'll miss you.

I can't believe I'm writing this. I'm still in shock, and so sad. Wednesday morning I received a text from a friend of mine that our friend Howard Fisher, whom we had gone to college with (my first college), had passed away. I had found out he was sick with aplastic anemia last week, but for some reason, at the time I didn't think it was serious. Well, Tuesday night I was on the phone with another friend of mine (at the same school) and found out how bad it was. Basically, his body had stopped making blood cells & platelets. He is Jamaican, so he had gone back home to Jamaica for Christmas break, and was still there. Well, my friend & I were misinformed by a facebook group, & thought he was at Duke hospital, which is not too far from where I live. My friend was coming for the weekend, so we were just talking about going to visit him & I really wanted to see him. That was Tuesday night we were discussing it. And Wednesday morning, at 7:10 am, he passed away. I still can't believe it. He was in Jamaica, surrounded by his family, so I am thankful that they could be with him. But a selfish part of me wishes I could have seen him. Could have said goodbye.

He was an amazing soccer player, the goalie for the college's team. It's a small school, & everyone loved him, & that is the absolute truth. His tall frame was impossible to miss on the field. When I thought of the soccer team, I always thought of him. He was a part of it, a permanent part of it. And that's just the way it was. I went to the memorial service today, and at the service they announced they would be naming the field after him.

These were taken with my phone. The only pictures I took of him. This is the last time I hung out with him - we were in the library studying for Bio. I'm pretty sure, judging by the pictures, we did more goofing off than studying. But that's the way he was. He always brought a smile to your face, even by just passing by him on campus. His joy was contagious. It was impossible to miss him, wherever he was, being 6' 6". But he didn't scare a soul. He had the heart of a champion, a heart of gold. He was an amazing man, and words will never be able to fully describe his character & who he was. He had a great sense of humor, always making you laugh. And it was so evident he loved God. You can just see it in his smile. You could tell he trusted Him, & loved Him with all he had.

That college will never be the same. He was an integral part of it, and we lost him on Wednesday. There will always be a piece of the school missing. It breaks my heart to know I will never see him again. That I won't see him graduate when I go visit to see other friends graduate. That I won't get another hug or a smile, hear his Jamaican accent, or his laugh, or a simple 'hey, how are you' from him. He was loved so much. My heart goes out to the other Jamaican students, his friends, his girlfriend, and his family members. I cannot imagine how they must feel. If you think of him or his family, please pray for them & keep them in your thoughts. His girlfriend, as far as I know, won't be able to make it to his funeral, and that is incredibly hard. It's been a whirlwind of a few days. My heart knows he's in heaven, but it's still hard to think about. We lost a friend. But more than that. We lost an angel.

We love you Howie.

I miss you.