Friday, July 21, 2006

Oh God, no, not another person!

Last week my neighbor came knocking on my door. I knew in an instant that something was terribly wrong, and it is. She had been diagnosed, the hour before, with breast cancer. She came to me for support, and I'm grateful to have the opportunity to share my experiences and strength with her.

Yesterday, she found out that she has stage four breast cancer that has metastacized to her liver and bones. For information, try:
http://www.breastcancer.org/rcr_metas_idx.html

My neighbor has a three year old son. When I gave them the book "Sammy's Mommy Has Cancer" I thought my soul would implode and shatter; I remember all too well those early days. Indeed, I relate all too well to her story, to her fear, to her driving desire to live. The fear colors it all.

Please pray for me that I will know how to help her, and that I will be able to set boundaries so that I do not take on more than I can handle in helping her. Please pray for her, that the journey is tolerable and the cure in sight. Please help me remember that I am not necessarily destined to have her fate; that I have stage IIb cancer, and not stage IV.

I HATE THIS DISEASE. It must be stopped. I will help to stop it. My "Team Kristina" has raised over $20,000 so far, and it's going to help. I will not stop there. "We will fight them on the beaches..."

Today I have wondered if I will lose my mind from it all.

Love,
Kristina

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Kristina, we WILL pray for your friend, and for you in your effort to help her.
Encourage her to take video of their family and for her family.
Stage 4 is not good. I'll pray that all the medical help possible will intervene and we'll hope for a miracle.
Courage to you.
Love, Mom S

Anonymous said...

How terrible, but how wonderful for your neighbor that she has someone she can relate to how scared she must be. My aunt was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer in 1993 and is still here with us and just celebrated her 82nd birthday!!!

Anonymous said...

My heart and prayers go to your friend and her family. I am scared for you. No matter how you set boundaries, you are clearly tied to her in many ways. I pray that you all get through this with quality and quantity of living.

Corina

Anonymous said...

My prayers and thoughts are with you, as always, and now they're with your neighbor and her family, too. Treatments are improving every day. May those treatments keep her well for a long, long time, and may you never need them again.

Namaste.