Hi.
This is the story of how life can change too fast. From Asian beaches to Irish chemo wards, we document it here.
This is the story of how life can change too fast. From Asian beaches to Irish chemo wards, we document it here.
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The first time I met Rebecca was at a pool party in Bangkok in 2016. One of the great things of living in a city like Bangkok is the opportunity to meet people from all over the world, everyone with different stories and backgrounds. I remember her standing there tall and beautiful, and after a quick chat I instantly felt that she was someone I wanted to be friends with. She was so kind, open and fun to be with! And I have always admired her amazing ability to connect people together and making everyone feel welcome.
After that pool party we became close friends, and during her lasts months in Bangkok I had the privilege of having her as my room-mate. We enjoyed numerous home parties, fun days exploring Bangkok, as well as adventurous and luxurious travels in Thailand. Rebecca always knew how to travel in style and with her staff discount at Anantara we got great deals and lived like queens! But no matter how much fun things you can do living in a new country I think in the end it is the people you meet and the bonds you create that really stays with you.
Moving to a new country by yourself is also at times very tough and being so far away from friends and family for many years can be wearing. I am so grateful for the friendship I had with Becs as well as Jess and Mike. They became my Bangkok family and really made me feel at home! Often when we had a night out on the weekend I would stay over at their apartment. And as much as I just enjoyed a fun night out I equally enjoyed our hungover Sundays at their place. Rebeccas passing away so young is heart breaking and will always be difficult to accept. However, I have never met a person who was so alive and really lived in the moment and enjoyed life. At the same time as she was full of big dreams and had plans for the future that she pursued. For me Rebecca will always be a great inspiration and role model. At times when I work too much and forget about having fun I remind myself about the fun we had and how she would handle the situation making sure to enjoy her herself without losing focus. And when I am about to engage in something new and challenging, which feels scary, and it feels easier to just skip it, I think about Rebecca and how she would jump right into it - always landing on her feet!
Carolina Stahlberg, Stockholm Sweden
We were playing Gaelic football one Monday evening in Bangkok. We never really got used to Ger's country accent rising above the noise of the Khlong boats in the heat. But it was a fully immersive, no thoughts allowed, hour of focus that Rebecca really cherished. You couldn't take you eye off the ball, or your ear off the coach. All go for 1 hour then home on a motosai.
Check out the snapchat from that evening of us in the elevator, me singing "Broken or Sprained, Broken or Strained" like a third-rate gameshow host.
On the evening in question, we ended the session with a scrimmage, men and women on mixed teams. Rebecca was mid-field or forward and ran to catch an ambitiously high and long ball from the other end of the field. It hit her with full force and even though she caught it, something was off. Her finger started throbbing and by the time we got home, it was purple. Cue uber ambulance. Not a real service, but how else do you get to the hospital?
In the ER, we sat nervously in an empty wing. There was so little going on, they almost rolled her in a wheelchair. We texted Hannah a photo of the room and she approved of the sophisticated equipment. A missed drop of blood on the floor reminded us this was a serious place. After a brief x-ray and more 'Broken or Sprained', it came back....broken! She had a funny cast on for ages and her finger was never the same. It lurched off on an angle from that day forward. A few months after she died, I broke my small toe on a piece of furniture while roaming about the house with insomnia. It felt right somehow. I hope that toe is never the same.
