Aly

Aly and I aged 16

My cousin Aly was my best friend. We were the same age, all but a few months, and were always close. She lived in America and I live in the UK but we were always on the phone to each other and writing letters. It was brilliant when we both got the internet at home and could email and msn each other. We visited as often as we could.

Aly and I were polar opposites in so many ways but we balanced each other. Aly's Mum used to say that we were like two halves of the same whole, and that really sums up how we were.

She called me sunflowergirl because I adored sunflowers. To this day when I see a sunflower I think of her and grin. I called her Lexus because she was obsessed with wanting one as she thought it would add to her glamour.  :)

Aly pushed me to do the things that I didn't think I could do and I needed that in my life. I've always been a thinker and, as a result, quite hesitant whereas Aly lived at a million miles an hour.  People say I was the person that steadied her when she needed steadying.

Aly was diagnosed with cancer when she was just 19 years old, she was 8 months pregnant at the time. She was so brave and so amazing. Her son was born healthy, despite her having undergone chemo and radiotherapy while pregnant, which seemed a miracle. 

One of my favourite photos of Aly and her son

In March 2000 Aly called me in tears and said she wanted to see me, she needed me with her. We never spoke at that point about what was happening but I knew. My family and I flew over there in April and stayed for three and a half weeks. Aly seemed quite well, she was full of energy. We spent our time shopping and watching movies, driving around and having fun. 

We went to get french toast at 2am while wearing our pyjamas. She dared me to sing Thong Song in the middle of a car park and I did. We bought each other presents and we talked a lot. We went to see the Sandra Bullock film 28 Days and we sobbed all the way home. We talked so much that night about her fears and mine, little did we know that within a week all of my fears would be happening.

On our last weekend Aly got sick and had to go into hospital. She never came home. She died just after 4am on the Tuesday morning. Aly was just 20, three months short of her 21st birthday.

It's eleven years today since she died and I still miss her. She had a huge impact on my life and I carry her with me to this day. Every time I feel like I can't do something, I can still hear her voice encouraging me.

She was beautiful, unique and she was my best friend.

Love you Aly, from your sunflowergirl xxx