The C Word

I have borrowed the title of this post from a friend who has a blog of the same name. She happens to be the sister of one of my very closest friends, Lynn, who is in the final stages of terminal cancer. So, I guess you know what the C stands for.

Lynn was diagnosed over 5 years ago and at the time her doctors told us - prepare for months, not years. Well, she proved them all wrong - she's had 5 relatively good years. Sure, she's had endless rounds of chemo and radiation plus a few experimental things. By almost anyone else's standard, her time may not have looked all that good - but she was just not ready to call it quits. Last year, she moved from NYC to Seattle, where her mom and two sister's live. She had reached the point where she could no longer manage her 4th floor walk-up. Her departure from NYC left a hole in the lives of her friends, me among them. I can only imagine what kind of hole her passing will leave.

A couple of months ago, the doctors just ran out of things to throw at this cancer. At the time, they said it would probably only be a couple of months. Once again, Lynn has her own time frame.

Anyway, her 60th birthday is next week and three of us are flying out to have a little party with her at the nursing facility. She is bedridden and can't sit up, but her mind is still sharp, in spite of the constant morphine. And, I know she is going to regale us with funny stories that will make us all laugh. And I also know that we will all shed private tears because this will be our last birthday celebration with Lynn. We have so many wonderful memories built over so many years, and this will be the final set. I can't wait to see her.

And, so that I can find some good in this, I hope that any women who read this will make a promise to get routine gynecological care. You see, my friend was diagnosed with Stage IV cervical cancer - a cancer that, if detected early, could have been cured. She was one of so many women who were "just too busy" to see the doctor each year for a PAP test. Such a simple thing, but one that can save lives. Spread the word - for my friend Lynn.