Pajiba

Damn, this place is making me cry a lot lately.

Thanks.

A red dress, a gun in her hand and Alice in the background. That is one seriously cool, classy Lady.

My heart aches for her son, husband, parents, family and friends.
I already give blood and am an organ donor and now I will be a platelets donor and get myself on the bone marrow register, I can't give anything financially (not yet anyway) so hopefully this is a little something I can do in Alabama Pink's memory.

I love the idea of contributing to Little A's scholarship fund! It seems so fitting.

Also, another place to donate blood (and my place of choice) is the local hospital. Yours probably has a blood bank. If you donate there, then they don't have to get as much blood from the Red Cross. So, if you want to try this route, call your local hospital to see what the deal is.

If you are interested in signing up for the National Bone Marrow Donor Program, here's the link: http://www.marrow.org/. For the international Pajibans, I'm sure the interwebs can get you connected to the organization that does this in your country.

I'm due to give blood anyway and I'll ask about the bone marrow programme while I'm there. I'm in the UK but I know it's an option, and it's one I've been meaning to do for some time. No time like this time.

Just want you to know I copied this in it's entirety onto my blog. Hope that's ok. Don't know if any more people will see it there, but I want to raise as much awareness as I can....

What an uncanny bit of timing. The National Bone Marrow Donor Program just happened to email me two seconds ago to make sure all my contact info was up to date.

I love the idea of contributing to Alistair's fund and will do so a.s.a.p.

I spent the first part of last weekend just feeling horrified and sad after all Amanda and her family has been through. I read her blog from the beginning since I had started reading after she'd gotten sick - and I was drawn into her writings. Among many things, she was a great blogger, filled with wit and intelligence.

That picture is, in a word, perfect.

Nice. I'm sitting here at work reading "Adrian's own thoughts" when one of my employees enters my office. I had asked him to stop by because his work is getting sloppy and I had to kick him in the butt a little bit, a healthy dose of tough love so he doesn't lose his job. So he knocks on my door and I've got tears bubbling at my lower lashes, ready to overflow.

"You ok?" he asks, looking at me like I'm some unmanly clod.

So I've got to do the whole something's in my eye bit, which is so obviously not the case and ask him to stop by later.

I had to shut my door. It was a good cry though.

My thoughts are with you Adrian.

Thank you, Pajiba. I have been heartbroken ever since Thursday. I followed Alabama's blog and came to love little Alastair. Yep, you were right, it is love. Now we have a way, minuscule as it may be, to express that love. Thank you.

Man she rocks that costume.
I'm already a registered bone, blood and organ donor, but now i'll carry a Queen of Hearts right beside my donor card.
The people who find it may not understand but i know i will.

Once again, RIP 'Bame, and Condolences to her family

I can't get a check out to the fund but if one of the lovely Pajibans I'm Facebook friends with could add an extra $25 I will paypal them back.

Classy post. Classy lady. Classy commenters.

Just out of curiousity, can I donate someone else's blood?

I'll be sending a check as soon as possible. I'll also donate blood more regularly. Adrian, my condolences are with you and your family. Between that gun and the pink machete, Heaven is going to be a very interesting place indeed.

In our thoughts,
In our hearts,
Always yours,
With Love.

Be Well, Amos Family.
(Red is really her colour).

JakesAlterEgo consider it done.

All the best to you, Adrian and Allastair. I hope wherever Amanda is it's a good place (preferably one with plenty of zombies that need killing).

It's weird. I don't recall ever really having a "conversation" with here on here and, clearly, I never met her, but yet I still feel a profound sense of loss and sadness at her passing. The zombie killing, love of Wolverine, and all the rest... definitely a kindred spirit.

The world needs more awesome people, not fewer.

Amazing. I only hope I can be loved half as much she was.

i was in the wedding of a couple of dear friends this weekend, and kept thinking of Alabama. i told my sweetie about her on sunday night, and how she had colored my experience of the entire weekend. i drank up every goddamned joyful moment i could, and was grateful for life, and love, and beauty. i'm tearing up at my desk again, just thinking about her, the situation. two years older than me, and cooler than i could ever hope to be. i mourn your family's loss, Adrian.
what a lady.

A kindred spirit indeed. When I first started coming to Pajiba I had just had my first child, who is roughly the same age as Little A, and had abruptly become a stay at home mom with all of the challenges that presents. I always thought that Amanda would have been the perfect stay at home mom friend. We could sip on drinks and watch movies all afternoon while the kids played, and sneak out for cigarettes when they napped. Such a cool chick.

I'm sorry Alabamapink, I'm too young for now to donate blood, but I am on the organ donor list. So if I ever die in a horrible car wreck, my youthful, fresh organs will help sick people all across New Mexico.

I wish I could have known you better, everything I've read that you wrote kicked ass. A traditional, 21 boomstick salute is in order.

I am a lurker, have been for over a year. I never so much as responded to a comment from mrs pink, but I have to say I felt like I knew her.

The reason I did not post last week is the same reason I usually don't... I could think of nothing important to add. That is exactly why I am posting today. She was a bad ass lady, and even though I had no real contact with her, I still felt as though I had lost a friend.

Unfortunately Germany doesn't want my mad cow disease contaminated blood. Luckily I'm going home for Easter, I'll make an appointment tomorrow.
In the UK I found that the local aphaeresis ward (the one where you are on the machine for ages) has two whole blood beds and that you can book appointments at the time and day of your choice. Much more convenient than the blood drives.

I haven't posted here in a while, preferring to leave my offensively inoffensive comments on Jezebel, but I still check back in with you all on a regular basis. I remember when AP got sick, and I loved how much everyone here supported her. I've been thinking about this non-stop all week. And I had to explain to my husband why I randomly started crying on that Thursday night. All I could stammer out was how cool she was, and how beautiful her little boy is, and how everyone here rallied for her. It feels so strange to say goodbye to someone you never knew, but the world feels both a little lonelier now that she's gone, and fuller for the life and laughter she gave during her time here.

I was in tears last week when my girlfriend came home. Granted, there's enough going on in our own lives here to put me in tears on the best of days, so she quickly ran through the list, trying to guess what had put me over the edge.
Sniffling, I say "Someone died. And I'm sad because she seemed really awesome and I feel bad for her family."
This didn't make sense to my very sensible, business major, managerial girlfriend. So I just had to say "No, I never met her. But I know that she was incredible and I'm so sorry she's gone. Now go and make me a drink, hussy."

You bring up an interesting point Richmac, pajiba is our compound that we guard with everything we’ve got. Rowles is our very own Col. Kurtz, he’s in charge of all of this madness. Outsiders and interlopers will be turned away. Richmac we are all tolerated, even me.

You know what Pookie, that really does mean somethig to me coming from you. Thanks I really needed that today. Perfect caricature of Dustin, whether he likes
it or not.

Never thought otherwise, I leave that for the others and the newcomers.

"Chick with a gun. Hot.
Posted by: Lucas"
I agree wholeheartedly. Girls who kick ass kick ass!
And Alabama certainly did.

As I got to know the remarkable cast of characters here, she was one of the first to "pop" out. Amongst all the awesomeness that she was, there was simply her name: all those "A's". It was a beautiful, slightly naughty name, but one that always kind of made me think of a beautiful Alabama sunrise. How sad that it turned out to be the sunset.

I am thinking of retiring the "A" key on my computer in honour of her.

Another idea if physical capabilities and funding are limited: volunteer. I work at MD Anderson and know that there are lots of volunteer opportunities from calling bingo games, to working with children and reading stories (somehow I think a lot of you would be good storytellers). I know not many of you live in Houston, but you could look up the nearest cancer hospital to you and give your time. Just like Amanda, the patients want to laugh and forget about the day-to-day experience of living with cancer. For those ofyou in Houston (where 'Pink spent her final days), http://www.mdanderson.org/Departments/volunteer/dIndex.cfm?pn=1AF9571B-B70C-11D4-80FB00508B603A14

I'd like to think all sorts of newcomers are welcome, as long as they are the kind of folks that can offend intelligently, respect the other person's views while attempting to change them, and will always understand the value of 'having your buddy's back'. I see a lot of that here, and that's why I like it.

Fact is - AlabamaPink, Amanda, was the first to give me a warm welcome and I take a lot of joy in that tiny coincidence. Even though the Pajiban's have become a tightly knit 'WE' in a lot of cases, I hope we remember when we were firsty/lurkers too and 'Think Pink'.

I'd say another Alabama legacy was that she simply touched a nerve in us that allowed for a rare coming together, an honest moment, a gut-level connection in a medium not known for it. A lot of people said, '...even though we never met'...seeing what happened to a thousand-odd folk when faced with a supposed 'stranger' deciding to fight a grave illness with a wicked grin...I'd hope it'd be safe to say we were all good friends, and screw the technicalities.

Lastly, she sure picked a wonderful man for her husband, and Adrian is the bravest person I've ever encountered. When little 'A' asks about his mom, I'd like to make a suggestion that you tell him that Amanda's special talents (whether she knew it or not) were Charm, Grace and Humour. And that she was Famous. My best wishes to the family Pink.

The world can be such a strange place. In the morning, I found out that a coworker and friend battling "incurable" kidney cancer had no signs of cancer in his body...and hours later, I read that AlabamaPink had lost her fight. Utterly heartbreaking...

So here's to an amazing lady who definitely matters, and to her amazing family, with all of my heart.

I'll admit it. . . . I cried all weekend, and into this week, for a woman I never met. I've read the tributes here, and on so many other sites, and read Adrian's blog, and commented more times than I had throughout the year. Alabama Pink rocks, is BADASS, and I'll remember her grace and dignity always. And seeing her dressed as Alice. . . . more than ever I wish I'd known her (Resident Evil - bad movie I LOVE).

I donate blood when I can (low ferritin), despite a HUGE fear of needles. So I guess I'll go on the bone marrow donor list (despite a HUGE fear of doctors. . . . and needles) in her honor. What little I can do pales in comparison to the great Alabama Pink/Amanda Amos.

And I have so much love and respect for Adrian, who keeps the inter-webs going, and has his own grace and dignity for keeping us all a part of this wonderful woman's life and legacy.

Check to Little A forthcoming on payday. And if there's a shirt for our Zombie Warrior/Queen of Hearts, I'll buy two.

Farewell again, Amanda. You will not be forgotten.

Absolutely. Awesome. Photo.

Farewell, Amanda.

Crying all weekend over a Warrior Goddess I never had the good fortune to meet; and trying to explain to my loved ones that a kick arse woman on the other side of world died from a bitch of a disease that took the lives of too many family members, was an inspiration to me.
It made me realise that Little A will have so many anonymous guardians the world over that he will be cherished for the rest of his days.

Unfortunately, I have no means to financially support Little A, as the Australian dollar is pathetic, but today I have signed up for the Organ Donor registry and am looking into the bone marrow donor registry.

This site is inspirational in its capacity to love.