"The art of saying goodbye" by Isabel Stenzel Byrnes at TEDxStanford

*Trigger Warning: loss, death, grief

No matter the innovation, the FDA approvals, and the passionate pursuits of possibility, our CF community remains too familiar with the pain that comes from loss. It permeates the soul with a silent suffering the greater world cannot begin to embody. Our connection to one another is born of a depth that can endure a distance dictated by a disease while inspiring an authenticity between hearts encouraged by such a connection. It takes great bravely to love, let alone love alongside CF - a love so many know to be rooted in loss. This season has seen so much loss in our CF community.

This week in our CF community and within our own sINgSPIRE community, we lost a force of unparalleled good and beauty by the name of Isabel (Isa) Stenzel Byrnes. She was a force of pure good and cared so deeply for this community. Aware or not, every individual in this community undoubtedly has been touched by Isa’s work, heart, and passion. May we all continue to be a ripple of her good in this world and in our community.

The difficulty and heartache of loss will continue to be known and felt within our community. But we love anyways. We connect anyways. We SING anyways. But the loss will forever be felt no matter how the time passes. There are no words to be found to change our relationship with this truth. But, our beautiful friend and community member, Isa, shares the “the art of saying goodbye” in a TEDxStanford:

Take today to reach out to your community. You each are an irreplaceable part of this community. You are greatly loved.