It is with a heavy heart that I write this blog. I received an email from Maya's best friend that Maya just died. I still can't believe it. My daughter Jasmine just received a test massage from Maya over the summer in Rome. We were so thrilled to have such a great talent bless our team. Maya was very smart and easy to get along with. She was so eager to work and was fun to communicate with. My daughter and I are both shocked. I could not sleep at all last night- I had dreams and nightmares both about Maya. I do not know her Mother but keep putting myself in her shoes, mentally and try to imagine the pain she is going through. Maya's friends too, must be horrified. I have a frog in my throat when I think "when it's your time to go, you go". I just can't believe that. She was young, healthy and feisty. WHY HER!???
Below is part of the email from her friend. I asked her HOW did she die, I just wanted to believe it was spam, that it was untrue, but alas, it is true:
"On December 6th, Maya went out to look for her neighbor's cat that had escaped from the garden. She went down on the train tracks near Stazione Casalina in attempts to save the kitten and was struck by a high speed train and was killed instantly. We had a Memorial for her on Sunday and her body will be cremated here in Rome. Her mother came right away and she will be leaving this weekend. We are all deeply shaken and saddened by this tragic loss and I miss my friend more and more everyday."
Don't the trains use horns and whistles anymore!?? Wtf!!?? I am saddened by this and my heart goes out to her friends and family. She will not be forgotten. You can read her bio she made for my web site below. It stings even more to know a fellow hippie/Dead Head who risked (and gave) her life to save an animal was taken from this early decades too early. Heaven now has a loving, caring, sharp witted rocker up there with them, probably massaging all the deceased rockers (Hendrix? Joplin? Morrison? and for sure Garcia and Lennon/Harrison). You are missed Maya. Rock on.
Written by Maya:
"I was born in Lisbon Portugal to an American mother and Portuguese father. I moved to Manhattan at the age of 5 and then moved to Palo Alto California at the age of 10 where I unlearned the hard core street smarts I learned in NYC and began to be a nature loving hippie.
Going to Jerry Garcia's high school I became exposed to Grateful Dead shows at the age of 14 (as they played every year at Frost Amphitheater), and at the age of 16 I was off on Dead Tour traveling to country. This was the year I learned about health and well being that would effect the rest of my life. I got certified in massage at the age of 18 and immediately started working in spas and began a life healing.
I have been in Europe for the last 11 years and am still a massage therapist, vegetarian (since the age of 16), and do yoga and meditation daily, and love to heal people.
I am a techno DJ and producer and I believe that even when I DJ I use the speakers as my massage table, so the theme of massage and healing touches everything I do."
A Facebook page was created by her best friend Kristen for Maya, please feel free to join and express your feelings: HERE
