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Looking for a good person to characterize was easy. I found Fran right here. On Helium. Her qualities include but are not limited to ....

EMPATHY. Being able to absorb and relate in a comfortable way about life's traumas, hardships, and disappointments. She shared her expierences and outcomes with a generosity of spirit and time. Never more than an email away, Fran walked me through childhood abuse, marital problems, empty nest syndrome, workplace bullying and a recent diagnosis and ongoing treatment of breast cancer.

AVAILABILITY. Already a reliable online source of comfort and helpful advice, Fran telephoned me in Australia from Canada and lightened my darkest hour. Hearing those words: "Hello. Is that Elisabeth? This is Fran" was the greatest tonic I have ever been offered. One minute we were chatting online when the phone rang and there she was with that same cheery little giggle she had sent me in a thousand emails. Fran had gone to the trouble of looking up my phone number and the international exchange code. She set up a bogus chatline to determine my presence at home and rang me.

June 2nd, 2008 was the day planned for my cancer surgery. Typically, Fran had to mark the event by declaring June 3 as SuperHero Day. We chose an anthem for the day and activities would be limited to my recovery. Even though she was on the other side of the world, Fran was beside my bed when my son wished me a happy SuperHero Day and Bette Midler belted out Wind Beneath my Wings.

PRACTICALITY. Not only did Fran help me to cope with my workplace bully, she showed me how to thwart his reprehensible tactics and restore my long-time stress-free work environment. Fran gave me practical, workable strategies to weave through my marriage which have yielded some wonderful results. When my cancer diagnosis was confirmed, Fran researched the subject with her husband. She sent me an anti-cancer diet which proved to be not only of immediate benefit but helped greatly with my surgery and recovery. Earlier today, I was online with Fran when my son come home from the dog-grooming parlour. One of our dogs had defecated in the car which was a loaner from our mechanic. Fran was able to tell me how to clean the upholstery and deodorize the car.

HUMOR. The ongoing soap-opera nature of our lives at times do encourage over-dramatization of certain situations. At these times, Fran is able to gently laugh away the trivial. Sometimes she does so at my expense. Far more often, she

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