The first time I remember hearing about cancer, one of my young school friends had been diagnosed with it. Growing up with severe asthma, I spent a lot of time in the hospital and made fast friends with some of the other ‘regulars’ including some who had cancer. Some I saw a lot over the course of my childhood, others I only saw a few times (in my mind because they got better but that may be overly optimistic). Then, when I was 6, my great grandmother, who I was extremely close to, was diagnosed with leukaemia. Little did I know then that she would be the first family member but definitely not the last to do battle with cancer. Cancer has been a thread woven into the tapestry of my family – on both sides.
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Unfair
Life is unfair sometimes. I am an adult and I get that concept. What I don’t understand is why my friend Mishi is being dealt such a crap hand by the universe right now. Her beautiful 2-year-old daughter, Stella has been diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. She is going to die and it will be sooner rather than later.
I met Mishi years ago (and no I don’t remember how many) in a band called Argonotes. We played at football games and had a lot of fun. Mishi met and fell in love with a wonderful woman named Aimee. They decided to have children. They were blessed with a beautiful little girl who they named Stella Joy. And yet she is dying. It’s been less than 2 months since they got the devastating news that Stella Joy is not long for this world. I don’t even want to think about whether I could show the kind of strength that they are displaying on a daily basis. From the beginning their priorities have been to ensure that Stella has a fabulous summer and cram as much life into the time she has left. I am truly in awe of these two fabulous people.
You can read their whole story here (note: you may want a box of kleenex handy)
http://www.stellabrunermethven.com/