Grateful, Always: Tears As Community Says Good-Bye To Friend

NORTH FORK, NY — When you're a reporter in a small town, the stories you write become part of the fabric of your life. The people you interview, sometimes, if you're very, very lucky, they become so much more than the story. They become friends.

I met Danielle Harrison-Meraz on a cold December day in 2015, soon after she'd been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. But what started out as an interview on that blustery day, which we did in the back of a truck because it was just too cold to be outside, turned out to be so much more. The conversation turned from her diagnosis, which had taken her by surprise, to our lives. We shared so much. Our love of our kids. A shared joy for music. She and I ended up talking Nashville and country stars and the Bee Gees, my favorite. When I left her that day, I said, "I feel like I've made a friend today."

And I had.

Over the next 2 years, as she battled that fierce, ugly demon that is cancer, Danielle was a beacon of light and hope, of consummate grace and inner grit. She told me that no matter what time she had left, she wanted the focus to be on living, on her family and savoring every second. On life.

When they heard of the challenges she was facing, friends came out in force, in a show of solidarity and dedication unprecedented even in a small town where caring and giving back are part of everyday living and loving. Fundraisers were packed with friends showing up to help a woman who'd touched so, so many lives. And then, there were the friends who made miracles happen — making the most of every day of Danielle's life, with a trip to Florida, concerts where she got to meet idols including Donny Osmond, and recent bucket list trips to the Apollo and to see the Giants. Her illness never defined her; instead, it's her strength and courage, faith and kindness that are her legacy.

Throughout it all, though, Danielle was always there, giving back to others, supporting friends through their own challenges.

She uplifted the entire community with her Facebook posts, always positive, always ending with her signature "Be grateful always."

Today, Facebook is filled with Danielle's trademark purple, with tears and memories of her love for Minions and sloths, country music and most of all, the beloved family and the friends she cherished, and who loved her with a devotion that will transcend time.

Love that strong, it's forever. Danielle's deep faith was an inspiration to us all and I have to believe, even as the tears fall onto this keyboard, that she's resting in eternal peace, free from pain.

Danielle changed us all, made all of us better people, for having known her. Not a day will go by that I'm not grateful, even in the midst of daily annoyances, grateful beyond measure that I'm able to see the snow fall or go stand in a joyful field of sunflowers.

What Danielle taught me, and I think, all of us, that instead of focusing on sadness or endings, we need to focus on living, on joy and music, dancing and laughter, on the miracles of newborn grandbabies, on dinners with friends and family and making the most of every moment we're blessed to have on this beautiful earth. She taught me, and all of us, so much about faith, and, yes, gratitude. About saying our prayers and helping one another, even in the darkest of hours.

I'm forever grateful for having been lucky enough to call her my friend.

We are grateful always, Danielle.

Sleep sweet.

Patch photo by Lisa Finn.