My Friend Jill

Another touching story of how lives can be impacted by brain aneurysms; from Kristi Resendez –

“Have you ever heard someone laugh so hard they snort? That laugh is what I miss most about my friend and former co-worker Jill Liccioni. This laugh was her every day, multiple times a day, kind of laugh. When something was funny, she would laugh so long after you had stopped, that you felt you needed to start laughing again!

Jill was the type of boss that one could only dream of having.  The first time I attended our company’s annual meeting, she introduced me to everyone as her friend, not her co-worker. She always told me I reminded her of her younger self, which was one of the greatest compliments I’ve ever received. Not only was she a great boss, but she was a great mom first.  She would make up hours by staying late at work so she could attend her kids’ events at school.  Jill always had a smile on her face, a bounce in her step, a snort in her laugh, perfectly highlighted hair, a coordinating jacket, and was always reapplying her lip gloss. I admired so much about her and how she lived her life.

Jill was taken away too soon, leaving behind her husband, a son in high school, a daughter in college, and too many friends and colleagues to count.   Jill was just months away from celebrating her 50th birthday when she suffered a ruptured brain aneurysm while exercising with her husband one Saturday morning. As a perfectly healthy 49 year old, nobody expected her not to show up at work on Monday morning. When I heard the news, I was shocked to learn that something like this took my friend away.

I’m not sure I had ever heard of a brain aneurysm until the day I received the news. The fact that this condition can affect anyone regardless of age, race, gender, etc. has really opened my eyes to the need for awareness and research. I have always heard life is short and can be taken away in an instant, but had never experienced it firsthand. My hope and prayer is that through continued research, others will be spared the loss of their Jill.”

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