Back in 1995/96 the internet was starting to take off like wild fire.  There was a small little company called AOL that brought an entire world of people as close as a click away.  Well, a few clicks, a lot of static & binging beeping noises, & one loud announcment of WELCOME, YOU'VE GOT MAIL away.  I quickly discovered there were chat rooms for every hobby & interest you can imagine.  I, of course, ended up in a room called "Center Ice".  Amongst all of the silliness that scrolled by in this chat room, I noticed there were a few people who actually knew a thing or 2 about hockey.  I was immediately drawn to one in particular.  She changed her name a few times but finally settled on one that really fit her bright personality.  And so began the friendship of CheriCola2 & HezPens68.  We chatted for hours and hours, days and days, weeks and weeks via Instant Messaging.  One day one of the kids (I believe it was Krista) messaged me from their own account & said "my Mom wants to know if it's ok if she calls you".  I said yes, numbers were exchanged, and so began the high phone bills!  We talked for hours and hours over the course of days and days - weeks & weeks  Hockey playoffs, life journies, hockey playoffs, our kids, hockey playoffs, life journies - you name it, we discussed it.  We eventually made plans to meet up.  Kerri rented a big SUV and drove the kids to CT & NY.  She dropped down into PA & I drove north from Pittsburgh & we met in the middle.  We were going to spend the weekend at an amusement park, but after we got settled into the hotel we discovered the amusement park had closed down.  So glad we were using the internet for what it was intended for - socializing! - certainly not information gathering or trip planning.  No Matter - we settled in with our cups of hot tea & spent the entire weekend talking about everything under the sun.  I had never before - and have never again - bonded with someone like I did with Kerri.  We kept the kids entertained, reveled in each other's company, & shared many laughs & tears that weekend.  And so began the many weekend trips back & forth across the OH turnpike to/from PA/MI.  I have so many memories that I will cherish forever.  Our tattoo session together, our trips to people watch at Cedar Point & the mall, incline rides in Pittsburgh, etc.  Kerri was beside me through so many things, good & bad.  She helped me through my Grandma's brain tumor diagnosis by sharing stories from when she had previously been sick.  She said she would play "Space Invaders" in her mind & shoot missles at the bad cells.  Her stories & her support helped me through a very tough time.  Over the years life eventually took me away from PIttsburgh & our visits ceased, but we never lost our bond.  More time than we both would like would eventually come between phone calls.  But as soon as we started talking I could hear her voice liven up, & in my mind I could see the twinkle in her eyes & feel the warmth of her smile.  I will never have another friend like Kerri.  She was one of a kind & perfect for me.  I'll always be able to hear her voice in my head, I'll always be able to see her smile in my mind, I'll always cheer for the Red Wings, I'll always hear her AOL "theme song" playing, I will always cherish our memories, & I will always love her.  I miss you, my Chica Cheri Cola.  ~ Hez ~

Many of you know that Kerri developed a bit of Agoraphobia in her last 8-9 years but most probably don't know what triggered it.  We had bowled together for several years in an annual tournament sponsored by my company (Detroit Edison).  We bowled on a team of 5 with some friends of ours, although there were dozens more friends bowling on other teams.  We always had a great time at these tourneys and usually had to drive up to Detroits northern burbs to get there.  In our last one we both rolled several practice balls before the start without incident.  Kerri was our first bowler on the team.  On her first ball (of the first frame) when she went to release the ball it stuck to her fingers and sent her flying onto the lane.  She lost her balance in the oil and fell hard.  Her left wrist was obviously badly broken and she also ended up with a broken base joint in her right thumb.  She was in tremendous pain but wanted nothing to do with an ambulance.  I loaded her in the car and took her to the nearest hospital ER a few miles away.  Typical urban hospital so the wait for a doc and pain meds seemed intermidable.  What surprised me was that her sense of embarrasment over what had happened in front of all our friends was even more traumatic to her than the actual pain.  She told me right then that she would never bowl again and I knew without a doubt she meant it.  [Anecdote:  Something associated with a Sears store really pissed her off back in 1984 or so and she swore she'd never shop Sears again.  She never, ever did! ] 
What neither of us knew was that the emotional trauma of that day would linger and cause her to see the outside world as a place of danger.  She only felt comfortable and safe in the house and was full of anxiety every time she had to leave it.  It was especially hard in the winter because she was terrified she would slip and fall on the ice.

I only provide this story to help many of you understand what happened and why she mostly stopped going on trips for visits.  You can also get an appreciation of how much courage she had when she did make these trips.  The trip to Eric's wedding was one of the hardest since it was fairly soon after the accident.   Later trips to Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota were also very hard for her, but she overcame and perservered. 

One little known fact about my mom is that she was a serious, hardcore online gamer.  Back in 2005 my mom discovered World of Warcraft.  Unlike many gamers, she was always willing to help out new players and give her friends anything they needed.  People always wanted to be on her team.  She advanced in the game faster than I did, but she would always be willing to go back through old stuff to help me catch up.  

One story in particular is very fond to me.  We were both getting a little bored with the most recent expansion since we had done most everything we could up to that point and were waiting for the next content patch so we could have new stuff to do. We decided to see if we could take on a serious challenge: go through one of the high level, five-person dungeons with just the two of us.  It took us days of taking two steps forward and one step back, but I can still remember the day we beat the final boss, just the two of us doing the job of five people.  We both cheered into our mics until all sound was just distortion, but we felt like we had really accomplished something awesome.  

About a year ago a new game came out that she was very excited about.  Once she was diagnosed, she realized she would not be able to play as much as she liked, so I offered to "play ahead" so I could help her catch up, return the favor for all the times she helped me in the other game.  The few times her symptoms allowed her to play, she didn't need much help at all.  We were both really looking forward to early March, where we could dive into this game together just like the old days.  Her hope and optimism inspired me.  

As I'm writing this story, I received an e-mail from a former gamer-friend of hers and he said: "she was the best, nicest player i have ever played with in my whole gaming career and i will forever remember her."  

My desire in sharing this story is to show how, in even her gaming life, my mom was talented, respected, loved, and left a positive impact in her wake.  Its as if she couldn't help but improve the lives of those around her.