Breast Cancer Awareness.....A Friend's Story

As I read the post about Breast Cancer Awareness it reminded me of a friend that battled and won breast cancer. I've been out of touch with this friend for a while now but her story, her battle touched my life.
My friend discovered a lump one day in the shower. She wasn't overly concerned because she had found others before that were non cancerous. Her mother and sister had also had non cancerous lumps in the past. But she scheduled a mammogram with no worries. Unfortunately, this time it was cancerous. This woman is a mom of 3, wife, sister, daughter, aunt and friend to many. I remember when she started her chemotherapy. Her friends and family rallied around her to take care of her kids and husband, preparing meals, cleaning, running errands and anything that needed to be done so she could go through her days without worrying about any of that. She was a sick lady after each treatment. She became pale, lost some weight and was quite weak. She knew that her hair would fall out at some point and she tried to prepare herself for that. I was with her the Saturday that it happened. She said she had been losing a little amount of hair for a couple of weeks but nothing noticable. But that morning she woke up and there on her pillow were many clumps of hair. She reached up, run her hands through her head only to find herself holding even more of her hair. She woke her husband up and said "it's time". He knew what that meant and together they made their way into the bathroom where he took the clippers they had purchased for just this occasion and shaved her head for her. Her mother had already purchased her a very nice wig, which she sported that day. She was so strong and went about her day as she had planned. Now, looking back, I wonder if she wasn't sad inside? Guess I will never know.
Yes my friend battled and won breast cancer. She did so with dignity and grace. While I already liked this woman a lot, I looked at her in a new way after that. I did see her briefly a couple of weeks ago and she's doing well, looks good and appears to be back to normal. I don't see or talk to her often but she forever changed the way I will look at things. I'll also never forget that shortly after she had lost her hair, my oldest daughter was about 4 or 5 and snuck and cut her hair for the first time. I think if that had of happened before my friend's cancer, I would have been upset. But, I told my daughter of the dangers of playing with scissors and told her she should never cut her hair because she could hurt herself. In my mind the only thing I could think of was some people would just love to have hair right now. I then thought of all the kids suffering from diseases that robbed them of the simple joys in life and how those parents would just like to have healthy kids, so why would I worry about a few strands of hair being cut.
I will likely carry this woman's inspiration with me forever.
May we all join the fight for a cure for ALL cancer. I think there's something each of us can do even if it's just something small. Not only will it help those in need but it will help us as we will forever be touched by their lives, the lives of those living with and fighting cancer.