On Saturday, October 1, I took a trip down to Galloway, New Jersey for a reunion of sorts with the main people who dedicated themselves to the fight for the freedom of Farouk Abdel-Muhti (a two-year struggle retold in the documentary Enemy Alien). Immigration activists Jane Guskin and David Wilson, myself along with my partner Michelle and our 6-month-old son Kiyoshi made the 2-hour drive from NYC to visit Sharin Chiorazzo, tireless advocate for the self-determination of the Palestinian people, close friend and fiancee of Farouk upon his release.

Though her once-strong voice was now only a whisper, she was perfectly lucid. We all talked over our shared memories, she played with Kiyoshi, and we collected and organized boxes of her papers, letters, publications and videotapes on Farouk we well as her own academic and activist work on the Palestinian struggle. As night fell and it came time to end our 3-hour visit, she invited me to come back again.

While it was plain to all of us that she was near the end of her battle with cancer, we were sadly surprised to hear she was gone just 6 days later, on September 30 (Obituary for Sharin). We were very glad we didn't wait any longer to see her. I'm very saddened that we've now lost both Farouk and Sharin, but I believe they truly live on both through all they've given the world and in wedded bliss in the hereafter.

Sharin Chiorazzo, Kiyoshi Chen Aderer and Konrad Aderer