Hello, everyone. I think I went back and forth deciding if and when I wanted to talk about this. For someone that enjoys to write as much as I do, I really don't have many words at the moment. I think by now we've all heard the devastating news about JDF. I think it took me some time to fully understand and to be quite honest, I'm not sure if it has hit me all the way. I'm sorry to those that reached out to me and I didnt reply. To lose someone so suddenly and unexpected is difficult. I don't have more to say other than that I feel terrible for all that loved him. I'm sorry to Jason for how much he was hurting behind that contagious smile. It really goes to show you that we never know what someone is struggling with.
Rather than spending more time on this tragedy, I'd like to write a little bit about how much he changed my life. Back in 2015, I was a twenty something pregnant mom-to-be with a husband that had been gone on deployment. I was living 2000 miles away from my family and friends. I was alone, I was bored, and I was having the wildest pregnancy dreams. I had a weird power ranger dream one night, one that just left me scratching my head when I woke up. To be honest, my last memory of Power Rangers was sometime in the 90s. I enjoyed it as a kid, but it wasn't something that I kept up with as I grew up. Anyway, that dream was so strange that I decided to google it. It had been years since I had watched, and the faces of all of the characters were a bit of a blur. When I saw it on Netflix, I remember thinking, "Oh, how cool. I should watch it." So I did. I watched the first few episodes and I remember thinking, "I feel like there used to be a guy with really long hair… I wonder who that one is." It had been a while since I last watched. "Oh, I know. He was the red one!"
I was thinking of Andros.
As you can see, I was not very familiar with the fandom. That was until I decided to google all of the actors. I kind of knew a little bit about AJJ since she had done a few popular shows. But what really gave me a huge smile was seeing how active JDF was on social media. He was so funny and interactive with the fans. When his episodes came on, I felt like I knew him. Then I found this website and fell even more in love with the characters. I have no doubt in my mind that if it hadn't been for JDF, I wouldn't have continued to be interested in PR. In many ways, he kept the interest alive. He kept me wondering, "What is he going to do next?" Through this community, I have been able to express my creativity, find an escape when my real life gets too crazy, live in my imagination, get to know so many of you, and strive to do some self-publishing. All of this is because of JDF and how amazing he has always been to his fans. I never had the opportunity to meet him. I wish I had. Because I would have told him how much he changed my life. Honestly, I thought I had time. If anything this has reminded me how limited our time is here.
I will continue to write in honor of how much he made an impact in my life.
To Jason, I say thank you. Thank you for dedicating so much of your life to making others happy. There will never be anyone like you.
To his fans, I say I'm sorry. His memory will live in my heart and all of those that he touched.
For anyone wondering, I am okay. We will all be okay.