Dear Natalie,
the other day I went to check your blog to see if you did an update and I saw the last (and sadly, the only) post. I was very sad when I saw your video and I seriously cannot believe there are that many immature people out there. As I commented on one of your posts, I really do admire you, and you really inspire me! I don't have MS, or cancer, I'm just a regular 19 year old girl (only struggling with my weight)...
One of my best friends was diagnosed with cancer last september, and I personally became even closer to her because of this... I cannot even imagine why people need to be so mean to others.
I totally did not plan what to write in this email, I just wanted to say that I still will support you even though you are not going to blog anymore.
Also, I think that you've been very brave in the first place to write your life, your feelings, everything in a blog. I like to think I got to know you in person, and even if it sounds creepy maybe I feel you were like a new internet friend to me kind of :)
Stay strong girl! Don't let stupid people put you down! :) They don't know who you are, how your life is, and most importantly they don't live in your own body so they will NEVER know how you feel if they don't experience it.
Hope I helped you a little. <3 I really felt soooooo sad when I saw your last video! I wanted to hug you but it's not even possible since you live in the US and I live in Italy...!
I send you a huge hug from overseas.
Much love!
xoxo
Susi
PS:Hope you answer this email :)
I'll do one better and reply to you via blog. I get a few e-mails a day but this one really touched me. You've really understood my reasoning for running this blog -- I wanted people like you to feel like they have a friend. Whether you have Multiple Sclerosis, cancer, or just a cold, we all share something in common... we all need someone to relate to. We all need to feel like we are not alone. This world is cold and cruel -- but it doesn't have to be.
No matter how busy I've been in my life, I have always tried to update, no matter the time or location. This blog started off with about 50 readers and now I have up to 1,400 followers. Even though I've been going back and forth about the future of this blog, I'll continue updating. I figured if I closed it down, it would be "oh well, time to find another blogger", but I've received an overwhelming amount of e-mails about how upsetting it is that I've decided to shut it down. Even to the point of deleting (which I was able to restore, just in time). I'm proud of what I have written; happy times and bad.
I want to say how of an incredible friend you are to stick by your friend like that. She's going to need you and she's lucky to have a person like you in her life. Words like yours get me through the tough days. In my real life, it's extremely difficult for me to talk about my feelings. My blog has been an outlet for that. My friends read it. My family reads it. The people I date read it. This blog is me; completely raw and unedited. And this blog is completely dedicated to people like you. I wish you the best of luck and love in your life.
Thank you all for reading and I hope to continue to bring my friendship into your lives as well.
Natalie xx
