A Friend In Need.........

I called my mother a couple days ago and she told me that a very good friend of mine has cancer.  This friend, J, is 19 years older than I am, but she has always been as close to me as one of my own sisters, and is like another daughter to my mother.  She is actually only a year older than my oldest sister.  Her daughter and I were very close friends through school, but after we graduated our paths went in different directions, so we didn't stay in touch too much.  It was the kind of friendship where when we see each other or talk on the phone, it's just like old times, and we get nutty and are comfortable catching up and remembering the old days.  But we just don't stay in touch on a regular basis.  But with J I've stayed more in touch; probably because she's such a good friend to the whole family.  Her younger daughter, from a second marriage, was a flower girl in our wedding.

Well, anyway, J found a lump under her arm; a swollen lymph node, but a very large one.  She went right in, and they found cancer in her breast.  They biopsied the lymph node, and then almost immediately after they got the results they removed the whole lymph node.  Now they are running tests to see if the cancer has spread anywhere else.  They are particularly concerned about it being in her bones.

My mother said that J is very optimistic and is going about her life in good spirits, and I am not surprised.  She is that type of person; very strong.  I am anxious to hear from my mother today, though, to see what J's test results were.  My mother wasn't home when I called this morning, so I'll try her again this afternoon.

Ironically, this month is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.  I had my mammogram last month.  If you are in the right age group or have a risk factor for breast cancer, please make sure you don't put off getting your mammogram!