When Joey met Sophie!! :) xx

I've always been a huge believer in the fact the people you meet online can play a huge part of your life and really become true friends! With Sophie this was definately true!

I met online through Facebook, i'm not sure how we started chatting, but the world of Facebook n Cystic Fibrosis is very different when it comes to adding people, you tend to check out the mutual friends realise they prob have CF and add them.

I can't write about my friendship with Sophie without mentioning one special lady too us both.  4 years ago, there was 3 of us, we used to chat everyday, run messages to try encourage each other to eat, rant about the world of CF and generally have such a laugh! None of us had ever met, I talked to Anna on the phone a couple of times, one day she rang my house phone and scared me, she sounded like darth vadar! ha ha xx Anna loved wagon wheels, rice pudding n chatting online.  She touched so many people lives and everyone misses the chats we had with her.  Sadly in Nov 09 Anna passed away after what i can only describe as the most traumatic 18 months i've ever known anyone with CF have. My did she battle on though, she fought through everything, but unfortunately a transplant wasn't an option for her and her lungs eventually gave in, but never did Anna, she was such a beautiful person and few weeks before she passed after one of normal three way random conversations Anna decided we were like the three musketeers! However that day she couldn't find a photo of Musketeers instead she found Mermaids, which i always thought fitted us perfectly, mermaids must have amazing lungs to swim around under water all the time! This is the photo she did of the three of us.  It's still Anna's profile photo now and I love that.

After Anna passed away, me n Soph became really close and over the last 2 years Soph has become a real rock to me, helping me through things! Soph hasn't had it easy in fact last year she put on transplant list and deteriorated so fast her mum was told there wasn't much more they could do for her, her mum wasn't having that and had her transferred to Harefield Transplant Centre, they put her on Ecmo and used a Novalung to oxygen her blood and kept her alive till her 3rd n lucky call, which came on 20th August.  At the time i got the text from Soph mum i was sat in hairdressers in Turkey on my own with no one around me too tell.  Soph's mum had been updating me everyday whilst i'd been in turkey.  There was something about that day i woke up with a feeling, we were 2 hours ahead in Turkey and at about 11 i said to Steve n Sarah that i had a feeling Sophie was getting new lungs today, n then a few hours later i got text to say soph had gone to theatre.  I was on pins all day, till i knew she was out of theatre, we were flying home that evening and i didn't want to get on that plane till i knew she was out of theatre and everything was going ok so far.  I got a text bout 20 mins before i got on plane and was so relieved.

One of the things Soph had written on her to do list for after a transplant was "Meet Joey".  I decided at beginning of April i was gonna make that wish come true.  So i arranged to go down to stay with Soph on Thurs 3rd May and stay till Sunday.  I was little nervous about staying so long, what if in real life we didn't get on, or annoyed each other, but we had the weekend planned.  A trip to Whipsnade Zoo to see Savannah the Giraffe who Soph had adopted for me as a Christmas present.

I was so excited, Soph too, we were both counting down the days, hours.  Soph was working till 6 so i planned to drive and arrive around same time she'd get home.  My plan went slightly wrong, just 40 mins away from her house, i got stuck in traffic which extendedmy journey from 3.15 hours to 5 n half.  I arrived around half 8.  I know it's not like Soph is a stranger to me, we text, we facebook etc but i was a little nervous, but how normal it was, i walked in we had a big hug, sat down and chatted n chatted n chatted.  Just like we had known each other for ever and just like always been part of each others lives. Soph's mum Pam made me feel so welcome and even gave up her bed for me, as we had decided not to stay in same room.  Thank you Soph's mum for letting me stay and for everything xx :) xxxxx

Me n Soph had a great day at the Zoo, it was a kinda safari park really, u drove round most of it, but could get out the car everywhere to look at animals.  Savannah n rest of the Giraffes were inside n the most difficult to take photos of.  They were definately the biggest giraffes i've seen, i recon i was size of one of there tails to be honest x lol.

Friday night we went for a trip to the O2 for tea at Frankie and Bennies, we both were nakered after day at the Zoo so hope for pjs and tv was great idea afterwards.  Saturday was big day the FA Cup final.  We went to Bluewater shopping centre in the morning, we both bought new shoes, n i got a skirt i'd been after in stoke but they didn't have a tiny little 6.  I could of bought loads and spent hours there but we both were hungry and wanted a McDonalds so we left, got food and went round to Sophie's dad to eat and see Sophie's aunties who had come down for weekend too.  We had a good laugh then went home to get changed.  I like dressing up, so even though i'm pure Stoke born n bread, please don't doubt my loyality, i wore Soph's other Chelsea shirt and we went to the pub with her dad to watch the big game!

 Luckily they won, we had a couple of drinks, Soph's dad was a little drunk and it was rather funny for me to watch although sure Soph was quite embarrassed.  lol.  Soph's dad David and his two sisters all sponsored me £5 each for my skydive which was so kind of them, would like to thank them again.
 

Sunday morning i came home, sadly!! I had such a lovely time and can't wait to come back for Soph's one year celebrating her new lungs party in August.  Hopefully we're going to go to Basingstoke at end of July too and meet Kate and go to Anna's hill where Anna's ashes are scattered and we can let of lovely balloons for her.

Thank you Soph for letting me come stay with you, i had such a lovely time.  I treasure our friendship and know how lucky we are that we get on so amazing and that we were able to meet.  I'm sure Anna was with us all weekend too.

Love you lots xxxx :) xxx