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| Chemo Day for my bestie - Screw You Cancer!!! |
Today I got a call from my bestie and she needed me to be her chemo partner because her hubby is too sick and shouldn't be at a cancer hospital. She knows that at any time or hour she can call and I will be there no matter what it takes! He wouldn't miss being there for her but this time he had a cough that just isn't safe for the patients to be around.
We met in 1981 and she was in the 1st grade class next to mine. There was literally 2 of those old double sided chalkboards with wheels to separate her class from mine! Over the next number of years we spent countless hours together doing sleepovers, riding bikes, skating, playing kickball, and so on. We went to different schools in 7th grade but made up for that time by being college roomies at USF. Although we had some struggles through those times we've managed to work through it all and maintain our best friend status!
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| Laura @ the Undy Run in 2014 |
I was pulling up to Moffitt this morning and looking at the flags blowing in the wind and thinking what a beautiful facility it really is. I also started to tear up because going to the infusion center brings back a lot of feelings and I hate it that she has to go through chemo treatment again. Laura has been fighting Stage IV Colon Cancer since her diagnosis in 2009. She barreled through surgeries and treatment like a total BadAss and her strength is just amazing. Over the years they've administered the traditional therapies for this type of cancer and she's done several clinical trials as well. Sometimes they just aren't working and other times the side effects just get to be too much to handle.
So now she's back in treatment again to get the metastasis back under control. It's hard to watch your friend go through this. It was hard for me before my own diagnosis but now I actually know what it's like physically and mentally. She's told me how hard it was for her to watch me go through it! So I don't know what's worse: cancer treatment or watching cancer treatment and knowing there's nothing you can do. I hate cancer!!!
Typing this up has reminded me of some old memories that both of us were a part of. There was the time when we were hanging out and she was running in the carport at our friend's house (Tommy Rodgers, RIP) then slipped and fell on her chin! She ended up bleeding all over and even got stitches. Another time we were at our friend's (Kristen M.) sleepover party where my wrist got broken on the trampoline! At another sleepover we were at my nose got broke while Laura's sister Karen was keeping an eye on us! Laura was the first person I called when my parents told me they were having a baby. I was 11 and not so thrilled at the idea but Laura thought it was awesome and she's been a part of my sister Sam's entire life!
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| Freshman year dorm @ USF |
We have so many good memories over the last 34 years together that I could probably crash this blog site if I listed them all. Then again, my memory sucks so I would need some help to remember them! I sure wish we had camera phones back then because there would be some great pictures. Actually.....it's probably better that camera phones weren't around our entire lives! Laura is a photographer and a bit addicted to taking pictures so imagine the magnitude of pics out there if she had her hands on a camera phone back then!
Being there with Laura today just makes me appreciate the value of true friendship. I love how her kids call me Aunt Pam and consider me family and I love how my family considers her to be family too! Not everyone gets to have a friend like this and both of us recognize how awesome it is! If you get a chance, reach out to a friend today and share some memories!
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| Me, Laura, & Selma at Relay for Life.....2011 or 2012 |
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| Me and Laura early in our freshman year at USF |
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| Look who's 40!!!! |
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| During my treatment.....April 2014 |
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| @ Epcot for Laura's annual Disney trip.....2015 |
