Dear all,

This is only tangentially development related but I feel I should still post on it none-the-less. If you haven’t heard, Rachael Lillis, the voice actor for Misty, Jessie, Jigglypuff, and many other characters, passed away on August 10th. She was only 46 years old and succumbed to an aggressive onslaught of breast cancer. Her performance as these and other characters has helped give joy to many people throughout the decades and will continue to do so long after her passing as this art continues to be consumed. In my own personal life, her voice clips from Pokémon Puzzle League enthusiastically greet me whenever I boot up my fangame to test something.

As I work here on a fangame on a character she voiced, I would like to extend my condolences to her family and friends for her tragic passing and express my own personal sadness at the suffering Rachael endured. As someone who has also lost a loved one to cancer, I am acquainted all too well the depths of pain associated with this sickness for both patients and those who love them and must helplessly watch their suffering. And as it was in Rachael's case, I know how tragic it can be when the disease suddenly takes a sharp turn for the worse and leaves the family reeling in its vicious wake.

My thoughts and prayers go out to her family. As a Christian, I personally am comforted by the belief that this world is not our home and that the suffering we endure here will ultimately be reversed in a coming new age. Because while there is much that is good and praiseworthy in this universe where we live, which Rachael contributed to throughout her career, we as fragile creatures are ever marred with pain, suffering, and death. It is genuinely saddening that Rachael's life was cut so short and I grieve her loss and the suffering her family, friends, and fans are now enduring. I hope she experiences sweet repose from her pain in the afterlife and that the work that she has left behind here on earth will continue to be a blessing to many people in this generation and the next.

With deepest condolences,

Kwatar

(Cover image taken from her GoFundMe cancer treatment page)