Melinda's Big Farewell

Melinda Bennett, 40, a local Hawkes Bay hero, died peacefully on Friday afternoon shortly after hearing her daddy tell her for the last time that he loved her oh so very much. She briefly opened her eyes and Steven Bennett held the hand of his beloved daughter as she slipped away. She was ready to rest at last, our wahine, after a short lifetime of constant bravery.

Diagnosed at just ten years of age with rare genetic disease, Frederich’s Ataxia, she was given a life expectancy of only 20. In what became typical Lindy fashion, she raised her middle finger towards the suggested expiry date and wrote her own future instead.

What an honour it has been to receive Lindy’s love and generous heart, she has taught me so much about empathy, kindness, hope beyond reasonable justification, transparency of feelings and traversing the human condition of fragility with humility and grace. If I have even an ounce of that grace on my exit, I’ll be happy. She deserved so much more than she got, a terribly difficult set of cards and she gave it her absolute all. She outlived expectations by 20 years and she used that time to make the world a genuinely better place. She spoke up for others, she fought for what she thought was right and she’d swear like a sailor at injustices when she saw them (or just to get a reaction, either way it was still funny). Sweet as pie, sharp as a tack.

Lindy wanted to put the FUN in funeral as her last act of kindness. Her instructions were clear; sunflowers everywhere, balloons to be released, an ice cream truck and LOTS of colour. And we shall make it SO!