I lost one of my best friends. She had cancer. I knew she was getting close to the end but I never treated her any different. She had some "friends" that disappeared after her illness got so bad, and it really hurt her. But I still visited or called her every day. She never wanted me to treat her different. We talked about the fact she was dying and we also laughed and cried. But her main thing was don't walk on eggshells around her. We were real about everything. 

One thing I did was to make a photo book with pictures of her and I and of her family,pets, etc. she cherished it until the day she died. She left 2 children, one was 20-years-old and her daughter was 10-years-old. I still see them and it's my way of staying close to her. I still miss her but you were right, it took me months before I would stop crying. It was one of the hardest things I've ever been through. She was only in her mid-40s. I was with her until her last day. I miss you, Terry. 

Susan