She Was Radiant

     She was radiant.
     You would have said her hair was red, but it was not. It was copper, a brilliant, deep orange that caught the light and threw it back at you. It could easily be mistaken for a halo.
     Natalie Henderson Bates was an angel of an intern in our public relations department. She was perfect for the role. She was funny, engaging, professional and memorable. The team we worked with marveled at her perfect hair, perfect makeup and perfect wardrobe, all pulled off on a college student budget and a boat load of talent and instinct.
     It was a few years after her internship, after college and after she had married the love of her life when we found out she had leukemia. It seemed cruel and wrong, but if Natalie felt that way you wouldn't know it. Natalie braved the treatments and their side effects and turned them into an opportunity to shine and to inspire. She fought back with flair and panache, and she was winning.
     With cancer in her past, Natalie became a mom, twice. She earned her master's degree. She became the director of residence life at Dalton State College. She decorated her home with the same style that caught our attention a decade or so earlier, and in that home, she loved.  She loved her girls. She loved her husband, Nathan. She loved life, even the messy, painful, not Pinterest-perfect parts. She and Nathan were building the life that other people dream about.
     Then, the cancer reared its ugly head, and Natalie dove head-first into battle. Surrounded by friends and family who were cheerleaders, fundraisers and prayer warriors, she shined.  She continued to be radiant, even when her hair turned loose.We prayed for a bone marrow donor, and it happened. We prayed for a marrow transplant, and it happened. Friends sold T-shirts to help with life expenses, since she had missed a lot of work, and even in that Natalie chose to reflect the light. She turned the t-shirt sale into a bone marrow donor awareness effort. I don't think anybody doubted that she would win this battle, because Natalie's a winner and winners win.
     But things didn't go as planned.
     Post transplant, Natalie developed something called Graft vs. Host Disease. The cure for her cancer was fighting against her, and, in typical Natalie fashion, she fought back and inspired. She was honest about her disappointment and her questions, but her faith did not waver--not even when the already rough journey got rougher. She landed in the hospital again a few days after Thanksgiving.
     Natalie died Saturday.
     I won't pretend to completely understand why. I can think of a thousand reasons why it would have been better for her to get well and live a long life, but that was not God's plan. I'm heartbroken, but I can't help but smile.
     She was radiant, I'm telling you. She was radiant.