A hero died today. Irish's battle with her illnesses, her battle with the government for justice, was fought for the last time this week. She passed away this morning in Washington DC after giving testimony on Monday about her claim. Her caregiver, friend and constant companion, Pam, traveled with her and is waiting for Irish's sister to fly to Washington. Please keep them in your prayers.
For those of you not aware of who this hero was, how do I begin? She's all over the Internet, a fierce fighter for veterans rights and the obligations we owe to all our veterans but above all, she was a tiny women with an enormous heart. She fought the VA for years trying to find justice for herself, but when that justice was offered for her and her alone, she turned the offer down because other Fort McClellan veterans would not receive a dime unless they managed to fight just as hard as she did. Instead Irish waged a battle for all veterans this country owed a debt to.
Over the years, she always stunned me with her level of compassion for others while the pain of Agent Orange taking over her body and the constant battle with PTSD tried to defeat her, but she wouldn't give in. She just kept putting others first.
There will be more I'll have to say about Irish later, in a few days, because above all, she was also my friend and I'll miss her sense of humor she held onto, her smile and this world is a much better place for her having been here.
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