I've had a really rough time the last few days. A dear friend who was diagnosed with metastatic melanoma at the end of January has been in the ICU of The James since last Friday. Her husband has been told that the cancer is really aggressive and she now has only hours or days to live. Just last Thursday, she was planning on going with me to a talk by the CEO of The James but had to cancel at the last minute because she wasn't feeling well.
I visited her yesterday and today. I watched her gentle, loving husband (who reminds me a lot of Al), stroke her hand and her hair, talking to her about a trip to Ireland they want to take and the ballroom dancing lessons they'll take when she's recovered. I see him start to choke up and then recover so he can support her. I watched her daughter sit by her bed holding her mom's hand and talk about memories and plans.
It was so heart and gut wrenching. And when I see that, sometimes it's hard for me to really be honest about who I'm crying for. My heart aches for my friend and her family...but it's also a quick jump to replace her and her family with me and my family. It's such a bad place to be, at such a bad time to be there.
Please pray for both of us.
(Oh, and today is the second anniversary of my first chemo treatment.)
2 comments:
It's OK to be honest about who you cry for. I've been lucky so far health wise; but I've been trying to support a myriad of friends/family in some small stupid way that are,or have been dealing with common and rare cancers. I find myself wondering if I'm really thinking of my Dad (lost 2 1/2 years ago to a rare blood disease that turned into cancer). The important thing is supporting people in some way to fight, or not; be brave, be secure and confident in the way they want to do it.Regardless of the motivation; the support exists. I think the support is stronger from those that have been there. My 2 cents. Tracy
What a ride this has been for you. Praying for healing and peace for your friend and her family. Xoxo
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