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Kevin’s Weekly Journal 9/24/18 through 9/30/18
This past week wasn’t an easy one for the Bionews team. Bionews Services is the company that owns SMA News Today, and all of the moderators here on the forums are Bionews employees. Last Wednesday, one of Bionews’ most tenacious and gifted editors passed away. Serena Lawrence served as the company’s Senior Managing Columns Editor, and worked closely with all of our columnists and editors. She died of complications from Pulmonary Hypertension, and you can read more about her story here: https://cysticfibrosisnewstoday.com/2018/09/28/serena-lawrence-inspired-voices/.
I’ve been thinking about Serena since all of us received the news of her passing. Though I never got the chance to meet her in person, she was one of the first people I contacted when I started at Bionews. We messaged and emailed often, and she always encouraged my writing and offered tremendous support and feedback. Her passing impacted all of us at Bionews deeply, and we spent much of Thursday and Friday sharing memories of her and expressing what she meant to us.
It was a tough loss for us, but I reflected upon the vibrant and fulfilling life that Serena lived. I’ll be writing a column about her impact on me later, but I chose to celebrate her life this weekend by continuing to live my life to the fullest. Serena devoted her life to giving people with disabilities a voice and to loving others. I remembered this throughout the weekend as I went to an SMA fundraiser and spent time with friends and family. And amidst the business of work and social events, I kept Serena in mind. The fact that her life here came to a sudden end and was cut all too short reminded me to live in the moment. I went to dinner with friends on Thursday and to a book club meeting after, and on Saturday I spent the day with friends from the SMA community. I treasured these experiences, and I’m making it my goal to continue to live like this. I thank Serena for the lessons she taught me, and for being a friend to all of us at Bionews.
I encourage you all to do something this week with people who will lift you up. Whether it’s friends, family or someone else, surround yourself with people who will support and encourage you, and live in the moment.
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5 Replies
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Extremely well said Kevin. I never got a chance to work with Serena, but everything I’ve heard about her is so inspirational.
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Appreciate it Michael. Yeah she really made everyone at Bionews feel right at home.
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Heartbreaking loss. Although I didn’t know Serena I can tell she touched a lot of lives. Her life may have been cut short but her legacy lives on.
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Big loss ,just wanted to say we with SMA are so sensitive and when we lost someone,we really grieve.
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It was a tough loss for everyone at Bionews, and for all of Serena’s friends and family. Thank you for your condolences.
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