Met Christina Tilisit Jendili mid-2000, when we were both attending the church meetings at a rented house in Likas, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. And we had been friends since. When I moved back to Miri, Sarawak, in February 2005, we had kept in touch, through sms and email since it was cheaper than talking on the phones. We had supported each other morally and emotionally, during our respective troubled times. When I moved again further away in 2007, email and then the Facebook was our means of communication. Even though sometimes we went for months without communication, there was a special friendship bond between us. If we did write to each other, the email were usually free sharing of our feelings.
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| Christina & I, 28 June 2009 |
Christina was diagnosed with cervical cancer and was cured in 2012 after radiotherapy, chemotherapy and brachytherapy.
2013 she started to have excruciation back pain. ST-scan showed she had cancer near her lungs. We were still writing long messages to each other on the Facebook from the month of August, when she started chemotherapy. The last messages, on the Facebook, that we exchanged with each other, was on the 30 October.
On the last week of November, I felt strongly about snail-mailing Christina a Christmas card. We had never written each other a snail mail because it cost nothing by electronic mail. I was thinking that Christina would love to receive a paper card for a change. I also intended to send a well-wish card from time to time, from then on to keep her spirits up while she was fighting the lung cancer. To ensure what I had in my record is correct, I wrote to one of Christina's daughter for confirmation of Christina's postal address. No response to my 5 messages sent from the 28-30 November.
30 November 2013, I wrote to another daughter. I was so thankful she wrote back on the 1 December 2013, with Christina's correct address. The Christmas card was posted on the 2 December 2013.
23 December 2013, from the Facebook timeline and message to Christina's daughter confirmed that her mother had passed away on the 22 December, at the age of 52. I was grateful to learnt that Christina received my Christmas card and had my special message for her. I am thankful that it did not take a month to arrive, as in other snail mail that I have sent from US!
Sister Christina, I am thankful for the opportunity to know you while I was in Kota Kinabalu. Even though I had moved further and further away from you, we have kept in touch whenever we could. Even when we didn't get to communicate as much as we would love to, and even when we didn't hear from each other for a time, we will always be special in each other's heart. I love you, my friend. I am going to miss you if I come and visit Kota Kinabalu. You will always be in my heart forever. You have been a devoted Christian and I know that you are helping Heavenly Father in the spirit world. Until we meet again, God be with you.
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