Don’t Leave it Too Late to Contact That Friend…
The sudden death of a close friend on the weekend has blind-sighted my family and me.
Tara Hunt was a strong and inspirational woman. She was only 54 and leaves behind a husband, three children and a gaping hole in the lives of many of her friends.
She was a philanthropist and tireless campaigner for the climate and indigenous rights. Tara worked for the 1MillionWomen campaign whose manifesto is:
“WE’RE BUILDING A MOVEMENT OF STRONG, INSPIRATIONAL WOMEN AND GIRLS ACTING ON CLIMATE CHANGE THROUGH THE WAY WE LIVE.”
The 1million women philosophy is simple: it’s usually women who buy for the household – from dishwashing liquid to choosing an energy company and, therefore, informed women can be powerful warriors in the battle to save our planet.
Tara Hunt was certainly one of those front-line warriors. In 2013 she travelled to Warsaw with the 1million women team to the United Nations Climate Change Conference while the Abbot government was shamefully absent.
She trekked through Sumatra to highlight the plight of orangutans left homeless because Indonesian farmers had turned their jungle to palm oil plantations.
Tara also travelled to the top end of Australia to an indigenous festival to teach Aboriginal mothers about infant nutrition.
At home, Tara loved to be social and gather people around her. She was a trained chef and famous for her hospitality, good cooking and passion for fresh, organic food. Her lifestyle was equally healthy: she competed in ocean swims, walked extensively and practiced yoga.
So, it was a shock to everyone when last year Tara was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. Tara – cancer? Surely, there’s been a mistake.
When I asked a friend, who has a PhD in immunology how that could happen – I expected him to give me hope, but instead he said, ‘Sometimes, shit happens.’
That’s not what I wanted to hear. I wanted to hear if you live a good, healthy life, you’ll live a long time. But Tara’s mother died of cancer when Tara was only 10. It was probably Tara’s healthy lifestyle that kept her almost symptom-free well into her illness.
I was in denial about Tara’s condition. I believed she would get better because good people don’t die young. Sadly, I didn’t see her as much as I should have. My fear kept me away.
Last Saturday, Tara spent the day at a friend’s birthday lunch enjoying the food, friends and a couple of glasses of fine Pinot Noir. That night a clot in her lungs set off a violent coughing fit. She collapsed and was rushed to hospital and by Sunday afternoon she was gone.
I still can’t believe it.
I’m not asking to be forgiven for staying away, but I do want it to be a warning. If you have a sick friend – please don’t take for granted the time they have left. See them now.
In memory of a wonderful woman please consider donating to: https://1millionwomen.nationbuilder.com/tarahunt