Thank you, Jessica Ghawi.

 

     It's been 4+ days. I'm still numb when I think that Jessica is gone. We weren't the greatest of friends. We didn't go to happy hours. We didn't stay up until 2am texting. Regardless, she was my friend. By now, you've all read about all of Jessica's amazing qualities. And believe me, they are 100% true. She was tenacious. She was silly. She was kind, good hearted, and driven. My God, was she driven. 

    Jessica had a profound impact on me in the short time I knew her. She pushed me to keep going with this blog. She encouraged me to stick with it. She was supportive and critical in the perfect proportion. She had a way to tell me something didn't read right in a sweet and kind hearted way. Then...through the magic of google documents, she would make me watch her edit it. For me, there are 4 stories that will always stay with me about Jess. They show her independence, her feistiness, her child like spirit, and mostly her "Never tell me no" attitude.

  First, I need to tell about how we met. While Jessica was interning at the Ticket, she ran the liveblog on the show's webpage. As a frequent visitor, and using my RampageNate handle, we became "internet friends", talking mostly hockey but also about trivial things. She was sharp and funny. After her Chris Summers interview, I could tell she had caught the hockey bug. She was new to the game and was wanting to learn as much as she could. She asked if I could meet her for lunch so we could discuss the sport and her potentially writing some human interest pieces for Running With the Herd. This is where story #1 comes in...

    I was in the middle of a die hard workout and diet regimen. She wanted to meet at Whataburger (of course she did). Jessica had injured her knee not too long before that, so when she showed up on crutches, I was taken aback. I jumped up to grab the door for her. She went and ordered and as she's  getting her drink, I go to help. She's on crutches, trying to carry a large soft drink halfway across the restaurant. I don't remember her exact words, but it was very clear that I was NOT to help her. 

    

   We chatted for almost two hours that day. We talked hockey, she took a genuine interest in my wife and kids, and we talked about her plans. She impressed me that day. I could see the determination when she told me, "I'm going to be a force in this business". I never doubted her.

   A week or so later, I invited her out to a Rampage practice so we could discuss more hockey. If you've been to Northwoods, you know about the balcony. I try to stay up there during practices so I can hear the coaches. When she arrived, I told her I was upstairs and would be down shortly. She told me not to move and that she would be up. On crutches, up the stairs. It wasn't a thoughtful suggestion either.

   Jessica wrote the Byers piece for me and the season ended. Before I could get spun up for the next season, Jess was off to Denver. Don't get me wrong, I was thrilled for her. But there was a piece of me that felt sad that we wouldn't get to finish what we started with this blog.

   Fast forward to last September. We are chatting on twitter about the UM/ND game. She texts me about tickets. And they needed under a certain price. I laughed at her. I literally laughed. There was no way she was getting in the building for that price. Now, take a second and scroll back up. See that picture. Who's laughing now? To this day, I don't know how she did it. But she did it. I said it was impossible and she said "watch me". I'm pretty sure she was high stepping into the Big House just to show me up too.

  My  favorite memory of Jessica occured at a Rampage game. I believe it was before she left, I can't remember exactly. Jessica had an extraordinary relationship with an extraordinary young man. Reid Smith is the toughest and bravest little dude I've ever known. He's battled and fought and he's kicked ass. I have met him once officially, and I am in love with the kid. During an intermission, while my wife and I were doing our "laps" around the ATT Center, I see Jessica and Reid. Here is Jessica in jeans and heels running from Reid. Reid dives for the legs and tackles her into a wall. Not a light tackle. A Troy Polomalu special. The smile and laughter that came from those two faces warms my heart to this day. That is who she was. She smiled. She laughed. She loved.

   I owe the success, as marginal as it may be, of this little side project to Jessica Redfield. She pushed me. She told me I was good enough to do this. I spent very little time with Jessica. Maybe no more than 6 hours. But in those 6 hours, she showed me that the cliche of "If you believe you can do something, you can" isn't a cliche at all. It was her way of life. She didn't know any other way. She IS an inspiration. And I will never forget our brief but special friendship.