Cancer Sucks!

I have this amazing friend, Cressent. I met her several years ago when she first moved into our neighborhood. She's the kind of person that you can't help but like. She's friendly, outgoing, bold, sincere, kind, brave, genuine and lots of fun to be around. Last year she found out that she had Breast Cancer and overnight her world turned upside down. She had recently remarried and had twins that were just a year old and two older girls. Suddenly her bright future wasn't looking so great. I remember the day she called me to tell me. It was like any other call, cheerful and casual. She asked how I was doing and after some small talk she just said, "Oh, guess what? I have cancer! I just found out. Crazy, huh?" At first I thought she was joking, but who jokes about that. I was paralyzed and didn't know what to say. It is amazing how fast your mind works through scenarios when you think about the word "Cancer". Then we cried together. I know that she shed many tears those first few weeks but I cried my eyes out too. I was so sad for her. Initially, things didn't look so good, but she took it all in stride. She wasn't just the kind of person who put on a brave face, she really was brave. She did all that she could to fight it, she had an amazing attitude and lived her life to the very fullest. I sat back amazed at how she savored each moment and tried to create lasting memories that might have been the last ones her children would ever have with her. I remember one particular instance when she asked me to take a picture of her pushing her twins on the swings. She wanted them to see that she was a good mom and loved them and took them to the park and pushed them in the swings. "Just in case things didn't work out". That broke my heart to see her have to think about those sorts of things. But, she fought this battle with strength and courage and determination, and in the midst of her trials continually reached out to those around her. If I was sick, she called on me. If I needed help with a project, she volunteered. She was happy and full of life. After every chemo treatment, she'd run a 5k. She'd call me and make me go roller skating. Most people didn't know she was struggling with cancer unless she wore her famous T-Shirt... CANCER SUCKS! But amongst friends she was open and honest, answered our questions and helped us to understand what it was like. During the past year she has had her fair share of problems in addition to the cancer. But again, through it all she kept a smile on her face and kept on going. She always talks about "when I'm all done with this....we are going to do...." I'll admit I couldn't see her vision, I was blinded with the "what-ifs". She has truly been an inspiration to everyone around her. A couple of weeks ago she was finally declared cancer free! I firmly believe that her positive attitude and "I can beat this" approach have had an enormous impact on the outcome. The power of positive thinking really can have a powerful effect on things and I certainly need to work on that more. I'm grateful that we are friends and wish I could be more like her in so many ways. I knew we needed to celebrate and so a couple of her other friends and I planned a surprise party for her.We all wore pink to show our support and met at a local restaurant, Sparks. The party was, figuratively speaking, a collective sigh of relief to see our dear friend starting on a new path with a happier ending. I love this girl!