Cancer can bring good things, like a new friend!

Way back in September (I think) on one of my visits to my surgeon, the nurse asked if it would be okay if she shared my phone # with another patient who was going through a very similar breast cancer experience. She thought that I would be good at helping support this patient through the experience! I agreed  and a little while later we did connect on the phone. I knew the minute that Jenny Comeaux and I talked on the phone, that we would fast become friends. What Jenny didn't realize that day was how much support I would get from her. Jenny and I both had a lumpectomy, and we started our chemo one day apart. We were given the same chemo, in the beginning and we went through waves of suffering, tears and depression and tolerating days of existing simultaneously! I did not know anyone personally, besides Jenny who was going through this with me step by step, in the truest physical sense. Because she had her treatments a day ahead of me she could always give me the heads up on what was to come! Jenny is a fact finder. I am not. Jenny has scoured the internet for vital information we needed to understand our treatment and make decisions. The less I knew the better, I tend to dwell on the negative or get too confused if I know too much. But what a relief to know that if I DID want to know the details of our cancer or our treatment, Jenny had it right there at her fingertips ready to enlighten me! I'll never forget the day she asked if I knew how much our NEULASTA shot cost! (that is the shot you get the day after chemo to help your white blood count) I had already met the deductible where the insurance started paying 100% so I wasn't that checked in to the actual medical statements. The shot was $6,000.00! OMG! We got one after each chemo!!! Can you believe that? Jenny continues to keep me informed, now keeping me up to date on our radiation experience. What a balance we have in our friendship, grounding each other in areas where we need support.

     Because we didn't feel that great for a while, most of our visits were via the telephone, but soon enough we would meet for an occasional lunch. One of the times we had lunch, following our HAIRLOSS, we were sitting in the mall in the food court, going on and on about our bald heads and our quests for the best wigs, when a lady stopped dead in her tracks to tell  us that she LOVED OUR HAIR!!! We just smiled and said thanks and when she walked away we just busted out laughing. It has been a treasure to find Jenny as a friend. She understands most everything I go through and we have shared many a tear together expressing our feelings as we journey through this experience together. 

   The pictures are from our last lunch date at Picadilly. She was already finished with chemo, cuz our second round was a different dosage. We went in the bathroom to compare hair regrowth  or the lack thereof and of course I had my camera. Jenny isn't quite as nutty as me, but she was a good sport and agreed to the picture in the Picadilly bathroom!! Today  when I woke up, there were two things I asked God to help me do for the day. One was my income tax return and the other was to call Jenny and tell her that I love her. While I worked on my taxes, Jenny called me! She was officially moving into a new house and had just come to grips with the grief of letting the old house go. She has been seeing about fixng up her new house while packing up her old house, in the midst of achy bones, migraines, nausea, fatigue and depression that comes with chemo. When she called we chatted while she drove over to  her new house. The conversation eased her mind and her heart and I got to tell her how much I love her. And how grateful I am for our friendship. We look forward to a day when our conversations don't revolve around cancer, chemo and radiation. Now that will be great! 

So tonight, as Jenny gets to sleep in her new house and start making new memories, I sit and contemplate how often we all forget to tell someone we love them or appreciate them. Last night Ricky and I cried together with a deep need to assure each other of our undying love that carries us through every day. He said how painful it was to watch me in the throws of chemo, not able to relieve my pain. Even today, after chemo is all  finished, Ricky patiently helps me in my fatigue and exhaustion. Friends, family and strangers... what I have learned from my husband's example is beyond belief. My husband assures me he was never going to allow me to give up. He gave and gave and prayed and prayed and I have learned more from his loving care than I would have ever dreamed.  Love is what gets us through all things, big and small. I am loved and blessed.