May begins . . . and why I am walking!

Tomorrow is the first day of May, which is meaningful to me for several reasons. First, it's MAY--and, as a teacher, that means just one more month until June, and freedom!! Secondly, tomorrow I will host my first training walk of the season, and I am tremendously excited to meet some walkers AND be outside on what promises to be a most glorious day. And finally--and most importantly of all--one year ago this month, my dear friend Marieke discovered a lump in her own breast, was diagnosed with breast cancer AND underwent a double mastectomy. I will never forget getting that message from her . . . my world literally stopped for a few minutes until another teacher came into my room and startled me out of my shock. And then, suddenly, human contact became too much for me. I remember just staring at my colleague (who was, luckily, a friend) and starting to cry, saying, "My friend is sick. My friend! Is sick!" and feeling completely powerless to do anything at all.



But instead of doing nothing, I went into what I call "Crisis Mode". To this day, Marieke laughs about the amount of food that showed up at her house from me alone (enough to necessitate the purchase of a chest freezer, whoops, sorry Marieke!). I bought pink ribbon clothing for her kids, I made "mix CDs" for her to listen to during chemo, I sent cards and letters, I put her on prayer lists, I called her on the phone (and I HATE the phone) and we just cried together . . . but all the while, I felt powerless. Sure, I was making sure she knew she was thought of, but I wasn't able to DO ANYTHING. And that made me mad!



So, I threw myself into fundraising for the 2009 3-Day, which I did in Philadelphia. I asked people I never would've considered asking before, and tried new fundraising techniques that I hadn't previously. And suddenly, I felt a little better.



Now, nearly a year out from that chaotic time, I can look back with fondness about how our close group of girlfriends all went into our own versions of "Crisis Mode", doing what we each do best (one of us became sort of an honorary mommy for Marieke's kids, one of us showed up for a visit with glitzy glammy make-up and accessories, etc.), and how the insanity of what was going on kept us all grounded in its wake somehow. And I can excitedly look forward to THIS year's walk, this time in Washington, D.C. I am thrilled to say, this time I will have Marieke by my side! Not battling breast cancer this May, oh no, not at all--this year, Marieke will WALK with me, as a breast cancer SURVIVOR!!!! And that is what makes THIS May, the greatest May of all!!