Monday, March 27, 2006
Black Death
I had a disturbing email from a good friend over the weekend. She'd moved to Denver last year as her hubby is from there, and had to all intents settled well and had just had her second child. The note was heart rending as she'd literally just been told she had breast cancer. It was only day one, so she had no idea of the extent or treatability.
What do you say? If she was nearby I would have rushed over. She said she couldn't cope with talking to anyone as if she cried any more her eyes wouldn't open from being too puffy. From a distance all you can do is make some inane comments.
Poor woman has had a rough few years. On her honeymoon she caught hepatitis and spent a year recovering. Then she has her first child and it had an undetacable form of Down's syndrome. Still, her daughter was lovely, but they decided to move back to the States to be near family (both where American). It all looks up, they have a second child, completely healthy, he gets a great job, they find the perfect house.
Then this.
I know its treatable, but how does a young mother cope? She was still breast feeding her baby boy! So on top of all the hormonal challenges, and lack of sleep, and a daughter who still needs lots of special care, and and and... Now she has to deal with a life threatening desease where all the treatments are horrific and life changing in their own right.
I've had elderly relatives die of cancer, but somehow when someone has had a full life it is somewhat less awfull. This is the first friend, and she's a close friend, to get caught by our modern plague.
Life's a bitch sometimes.
What do you say? If she was nearby I would have rushed over. She said she couldn't cope with talking to anyone as if she cried any more her eyes wouldn't open from being too puffy. From a distance all you can do is make some inane comments.
Poor woman has had a rough few years. On her honeymoon she caught hepatitis and spent a year recovering. Then she has her first child and it had an undetacable form of Down's syndrome. Still, her daughter was lovely, but they decided to move back to the States to be near family (both where American). It all looks up, they have a second child, completely healthy, he gets a great job, they find the perfect house.
Then this.
I know its treatable, but how does a young mother cope? She was still breast feeding her baby boy! So on top of all the hormonal challenges, and lack of sleep, and a daughter who still needs lots of special care, and and and... Now she has to deal with a life threatening desease where all the treatments are horrific and life changing in their own right.
I've had elderly relatives die of cancer, but somehow when someone has had a full life it is somewhat less awfull. This is the first friend, and she's a close friend, to get caught by our modern plague.
Life's a bitch sometimes.
