last night i worked the relay for life event at work. a few hours into it, they stopped the festivities and did about 30 minutes of remembrance of those who, unfortunately, have succumbed to cancer. they did a few moments to those who have survived. and gave thanks to those who have taken care of those that had/were fighting the battle.
for those of you that don't know (which, really, is most of you), i was diagnosed with cervical cancer this last winter. luckily it was caught very early and after a few treatments/procedures i'm so far still in the clear.
the only person who really knew about my fight (albeit short as it was) was the jew. the night i was diagnosed she swooped me away from work and took me out for rum and pancakes :). she had had an impossibly long day, but still stayed up with me until after 2am and let me talk. not about anything in particular, but just in general. she didn't let me be alone when i didn't know how to ask someone to not leave me. she made it okay for me to say "i'm scared" when those were words that had never passed my lips.
over the course of the few months i had to deal with it she never wavered in her support. it was never "me" that was going through it. it was "us" that were going to beat it. with her silent strength i never doubted otherwise.
while they were doing the moment of thanks i text message the jew:
"they're doing the moment of thanks for those who have taken care of the ones that have had cancer. thank you, [jew]. i don't think i've said it enough. or if i ever could."
they played the song "i'll stand by you" by the pretenders. i totally started to cry in the middle of this event, while in uniform. which, of course, made me angry. which, of course, made me blame the jew. damn you, jew, damn you. :)
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2 comments:
Congratulations on being a survivor. My dad was recently (last summer) diagnosed with cancer... like you, it was caught early and dealt with relatively easily... and so far, he, too, is in the clear.
And the Jew was also there for me, albeit in a different way considering we're in two different geographic locations.
She's the best, isn't she?
eh, she has her moments :)
congrats to your father.
(actually, she really is the best. my most favorite, in fact. wouldn't trade her for the world. --i'm not saying this just because she pays half the rent-- she really is pretty much made of awesome...unless she's tired and hungry.)
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