Friends In Low Places

I've mentioned on several occasions how amazing my friends are.  I cannot wait until I have enough energy to write about each of them and all their awesomeness!  But, tonight I want to share with you a few seemingly 'strangers' (and I don't like that word because as you will read, they aren't strangers at all!) that I believe were placed in my life by the Big Guy himself.  He was preparing me for what he knew was to come.  I think they are truely God-sends!  

When I started this BRCA journey a couple of months ago, my friend Carrie said I really should meet her friend Erin (EP).  I did want to meet Erin, but found that time had slipped away from me and I never got to really connect with her before my surgeries.  No biggie, right?  Wrong!  I didn't know all the ends and outs of Erin's story, but I knew there were some similarities to mine.  I reached out to Erin and said I think it's time we had some coffee.  She said "we can meet tomorrow, I can come to you because I know you driving isn't really an option."  Okay, right off the bat, she got it!  She shared her story with me, it offered advice, comfort and hope.  We talked, we laughed and we cried.  A stranger who I had this immediate connection with.  Thanks for taking the time EP.

Erin and I have a mutual friend.  She came over just 4 days after my mastectomy to share her cancer journey with me.

Another friend, Caren (CS), is a former oncology nurse.  I wouldn't have considered us close friends, we've met a few times at the playground or TumbleTime.  She has reached out to me and wow! what a comfort she is.  She listens and tells me I'm not crazy.  She helps to explain all HR-, HER2+ and all the other letters I can't remember or decipher.  Just knowing there is someone willing and able to explain this stuff when all I hear from the doctor is the voice of the Charlie Brown teacher is a God-send.  Oh did I mention she is a mom of 4 who just had twins?  Bonus for me, she is one of the few people who are up in the middle of the night when I'm usually doing my best thinking!  Again, someone who I seemingly just happens to cross paths with, when I know the truth is that God knew I would need her.  

I met Katheryn (KZ) in the hospital was I recovering from my mastectomy.  I was warned I may have a roommate after surgery and I was worried.  With my hysterectomy, we had a room to ourselves, which was great!  I was not very thrilled with the fact that I would be undergoing this physically and emotionally taxing surgery and have to share a room with a complete stranger.  I don't remember exactly how we hit it off (thank you Mr. Morphine), but in the short 20 hours that we shared we laughed a lot, cried a little and shared a lot.  She told me about her cancer journey (this was before I knew of my cancer diagnosis) and how she arrived at her decision to have a prophylactic mastectomy this go around.  We tried to get sway our nurse to sneak us in some real food, as we were both put on liquid diets (we were unsuccessful, but I think since Katheryn and I presented a united front, we got close).  We exchanged jabs, mainly consisting of her being nearly 20 years my senior and needing minimal pain medicine, while I was begging for more every chance I could.  We had a great chat at 4:30 in the morning about all the really important things in life (God, family, love).  We cried a little and we laughed a lot.  My mom was keeping Mason, so she wasn't able to be at the hospital that night, but when I needed a mom, God made sure I had one (and I know my mom is so grateful that Katheryn was there for me when she wasn't able to be).  Katheryn and I are now Facebook friends.  I could feel her disappointment and sorrow when I messaged her to let her know things turned out differently than we had anticipated.  I look forward to keeping up with her... 

Jessica-nurse-extraordinaire (JS) is mentioned in some earlier posts.  I met her when I went to take my BRCA test.  Little did I know at that point, she was fighting her own battle with breast cancer.  Gosh, I feel so silly that I was stressed over a test result and she was in the real-deal battle.  I remember hearing about her struggle, and praying for her before I even had my results.  I wanted to reach out to her, but didn't as I didn't want to cross any boundaries.  t felt a connection with her long before I knew we would become cancer comrades.  She's been so great to send me encouragements before procedures.  She keeps it real, but also has the most amazing attitude.  I know she is going to be a valuable resource to me as I go through this journey.  Once again, God has placed yet another seemingly-random person in my path just when He knew I would need that.  

I met Krista (KS) at my sisters house, shortly after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.  She was my sister's neighbor and when she found out I was going to have a bilateral mastectomy, she was more than happy to share her mastectomy experience with me.  Once again, we didn't know this thing was going to turn into way more than a prophylactic mastectomy.  She's shared her blog with me, answered my questions, and is currently wrapping up the end of a very tough chemo experience.  It's humbling and scary to see a strong woman taken down by chemo, but also so inspiring to see she fought the battle with grace and came out on top!  Krista, thanks for walking me through this journey.  

Isn't Krista beautiful!? 

Jennifer (JDM) was a teammate of mine in high school 20 years ago (wow, 20 years ago!).  We played volleyball and let me tell you she had one hell of a serve!  A few things I remember about Jennifer is that she had spunk.  She was an extremely hard worker and a dedicated athlete.  She could have totally kicked my scrawny butt if she had wanted to.  She had a bit of a hard edge to her and had a wicked sense of humor.  She seemed to be so comfortable in her skin ~ not an easy task in high school.  She seemed to know exactly who she was and was firm on what she stood for.  A few months ago, long before I knew my fate, I remember reading on Facebook that she was battling breast cancer.  I saw her picture and tears started streaming down my face.  I looked at her picture and it gave me confirmation that my plan to have a prophylactic mastectomy was the right choice for me.  As I studied this picture, I was struck by Jen's amazing smile, bravery and her strength.  Once Jen saw my cancer coming out status, she immediately reached out to me to offer encouragement, advice and just an open ear.  She's fighting her own battle, yet took the time to guide me as I start my own battle.  

To me, this picture oozes strength and beauty. 

I'm not alone in this journey.  Far from it.  These strong, courageous ladies (and I'm sure I will meet many more along the way) are a constant reminder that He provides us exactly what we need in our time of need!