Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Thinking About You

It's been 10 years and 2 days since I lost a really dear friend of mine to cancer. She started out as my freshman year math teacher and from there our friendship grew cause she saw me at my truest self and I showed that I could handle bad news with grace and dignity. It took a bit for her to realize I was able to handle what was going on with her and that I wasn't easily scared away just because she was diagnosed with cancer. She was diagnosed my sophomore year with breast and bone cancer and moved down to California to receive treatment, that's when our friendship took off cause we would email back and forth pretty much daily.

She made a few trips back up here but then it got to the point where she couldn't travel anymore because it was just to difficult for her. Part of my Christmas break my senior year was spent down in California visiting with her, she had asked for me to come down, I went down with a teachers aid whom also was friends with her and we got there on New Years Eve and I was greeted with a gift from her of a necklace and I loved it. I still have this necklace and for many many years I refused to wear anything but it. Now I switch between it and other necklaces because if I was ever to lose it I would be heartbroken. I am in fact wearing it again cause I haven't worn it in a long while. In fact I have gone through a few chains for the necklace because they have given out or broken over the years.

While down visiting anytime I was introduced to one of her friends I got so you are the famous Stephy we have heard so much about. Turns out she talked about me all the time, everyday she was updating her friends on me and how I was doing in school and that I had a heart of gold and that I was as sweet as can be. This is when I was informed that she thought of me as the daughter she was never able to have. Talk about high praise and feeling almost famous.

I was able to make it down to California one last time before she passed away. She didn't know I was coming to visit it was to be a surprise for her and boy was it ever. Her mom picked me up at LAX and as we drove to her house, her mom told me don't feel bad if she doesn't act surprised or shocked no one has ever been able to surprise her. We get to the house, knock on the door and walk in. She was in the computer room with her back towards the door so I knock on the door frame and said "knock, knock" She turns around stands up, starts crying and just says over and over again "my girl" I was the only one to ever surprise her. Exactly a month to the day that I visited she passed away. I miss her dearly and do keep in touch with her mom and brother through email, not as much as I should but every now and then I will write them and update them on what's going on.

Just thought I would share a little about my friend, yes I left her name out for a reason and I know at least one person who reads my blog will know whom I'm talking about.

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