What words are there to say when you lose a longtime friend and colleague?

There are no words.

Just shock.

Even when the loss is something you realize could happen, it still doesn’t make it any easier to accept.

We lost Teresa Hammond this past weekend.

She passed away at home after fighting breast cancer for more than seven years. Those who watched her battle, like myself, kept up hope until the end that she would beat it. There were moments where it seemed like she would but then, as cancer does, it would find another way in, another way to attack and a new treatment plan would have to be put in place.

A friend for more than two decades, Teresa and I started sharing space at the old Oakdale Leader office on South Third Avenue when she was brought on to be our features writer, taking over the “Living” section of the paper. Back in those days, we had birth announcements, engagements, weddings and anniversaries, club happenings, unique feature stories – it was a solid section all on its own and truly captured the flavor of life in the community. It was a section that Teresa earned awards for in state competition; it was something she held dear.

Then she branched out into writing news stories, features for the 209 Magazine, her newspaper column, for the last several years under the ‘Mommy Musings’ title. Through that forum, she shared adventures as her children grew, as her life situation changed and again, more recently, as she navigated her seven-year battle with cancer.

As our roles at the newspaper evolved and I eventually became her editor and the person that proofread her work, we still maintained a friendship outside the office. Both Giants and 49ers fans, we often teamed up against friend and co-worker Michelle, outnumbering her when she rooted for the A’s and the Raiders.

One of the best ways I can think of to describe Teresa, or ‘T’ as many called her, is someone who was never afraid to be herself. She was unapologetically Teresa and that sometimes took people by surprise. Her motto literally could have been “take me or leave me” – she was fine either way, she just went on about her business and her life, living and loving those in her circle to the fullest.

Her kids, like many of those whose parents work at the paper, spent a fair amount of time within the walls of our building and we celebrated milestones together, from setting a personal best time at a swim meet, getting that driver’s license, graduating high school … we have been through a lot of life’s ups and downs together.

A small work staff, if you’re lucky, becomes an extended family and that is what we have here. We all are feeling the weight of this loss, like many in the community.

We watched Teresa take her Stage 3 triple negative breast cancer diagnosis head on and ready herself for battle. It is a war she waged valiantly for seven years. Most of that time, she continued to work, refusing to let cancer stop her.

She also utilized social media the past few years to share her story and used the newspaper as a way to highlight others in the community battling diseases, chronicling their journeys, setbacks and successes.

I cherish all the memories we made together, such as a trip to San Francisco when my daughter was just a few years old and got to see the Pacific Ocean for the first time. Or those somewhat scary trips on BART when we had our ‘Ladies of the Leader’ trips to Giants games. One Easter was also spent at her parent’s house, sharing a meal and celebrating the day with her family.

Through the years, we laughed, we cried, we argued, we patched things up. We made each other better listeners, better writers, better people.

Honestly, I can’t imagine a world without Teresa. But I am eternally grateful that, for at least just a moment in time, I shared a spot in this world with her. I am richer for the experience.