The Support

When I was diagnosed my therapist told me that people would handle my diagnosis in one of three ways, they’d disappear, they’d sit by and not help but they’d want all the details or they’d jump in and do all the things.

Almost everyone jumped in and did all the things.

Where to start, where to start. People are so wonderful. Especially, my people. The daily texts, phone calls, journals, books, food, jewelry, hair pieces, food, scarves, blankets, cards, socks, shirts, bags, planners, stickers, pottery, food, strollers for Ned, toys for Ned, toys for my kids, lottery tickets, squishy banana, flights across the country, did I mention the food? Who buys a dog right after they’re diagnosed with stage 4 cancer? This girl! I needed sitters for Ned, sitters for the kids who were 5, 7 and 10. They even hired the sitters for me so I didn’t have to think about doing that. They had the house cleaned and the yard mowed. They sent money to us to make things just a tad easier.

I used to think “what do I do?” when someone I knew was sick or hurt or going through a tough time. I’ll never need to ask myself that question again. My friends showed me in real time what to do. They showed up BIG. They bought shirts and cups to show support publicly, they did everything else mentioned above privately to support me and my family.

One million thank yous will never be enough to show how thankful we are to each and every one of our friends and family members that supported us then and are still supporting us now. You would think the support would taper off after months or years, but no, it’s still coming in, steady and strong. It keeps us alive, going, pressing forward. Thank you.