Shannon Forde, incredible person and longtime Mets press staffer, has died

Longtime Mets press staffer Shannon Forde, who had been battling cancer over the past few years, has died. She was just 44 years old. To say she'll be missed is an understatement.

I was lucky enough to have met and worked with Shannon over the past few years. Even though I was only around for a few days per year, on behalf of Amazin' Avenue, she was as kind and helpful to me, a guy taking vacation to cover spring training for a few days per year, as she was to everyone else. Shannon didn't have to help us, but she did, and because of that, this site was a better place.

One night at Duffy's in Port St. Lucie a year or two ago, I got to meet Shannon's kids as she played games with them in the arcade. This was well after her cancer diagnosis, and at the time, the odds were known to be working against her. It's absolutely heartbreaking to think back to that moment now, but it was anything but sad at the time. Shannon was making everyone around her smile, just as she always seemed to do.

We already miss Shannon, and we're grateful that we got to know her. The world was a better place with her in it.