If you believed that one person............

.... couldn't make a difference. Then you hadn't met Dalilah Tamrin / Raden Galoh!

I started blogging just over two years ago and Dalilah's blog was one of the first I stumbled on. This courageous woman was the epitome of strength and perseverance! Every post she wrote brought to the fore every emotion you could think of. But what struck me the most was her faith, her strong sense of belief that whatever came her way were Allah's blessings. The more He tested her, the more she pulled closer to Him.

Dalilah had been diagnosed with breast cancer in her thirties. Not one to let her situation get the better of her, she set about educating those around her. She did this by means of her blog, motivational speaking at various universities and seminars, and later publishing her book recording her journey fighting the big C.

When I visited KL last year, one of the highlights of my trip was meeting Dalilah face to face. She had the most endearing smile. As I look through my pix of her and those posted by fellow bloggers, that's what stands out most. She had touched each person differently, all the blog posts written after her passing bears testament to that.

I had been texting Sis D during her Umrah to the Holy cities. She wasn't doing too well and was eventually confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her visit. I was glad that her husband had decided to take the journey with her. Though her health was deteriorating, when asked how she was doing, 'Alghumdulillah', would always be her reply. No complaints whatsoever!

The weekend before her passing I had this unsettling feeling that I just couldn't shake. I had just come home from visiting my mom and was standing in the kitchen. From the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of a lady wearing hijab. It happened so quickly, like these incidents do and nearly scared me half to death in the process. The unsettling feeling grew with intensity and as I crawled into bed I hoped that sleep would come.

But I tossed and turned the whole night not getting any shut eye. Around 3:30am local time I received a text message from Yani. I knew before I opened the message what news it would relay. You have no idea how much I wanted to be in KL at that very moment! But all I could do was say a du'a and cry.

And cry I did, when I saw the tributes pouring in on Sis D's blog, her FB page and the status' of mutual friends. That one person could have such an effect on those they made contact with, no matter how brief, was just miraculous. I was so moved, I don't think I've seen anything like it! Sis D had certainly raised the bar. May Allah have mercy on her soul and may she be placed amongst the pious, Insha-Allah Ameen!

I shall miss you terribly!

Al-Fatihah..........