Cancerbytheday.com

Cancerbytheday.com
One night a few weeks ago, I e-mailed an old friend of mine who I adore. Her husband was my Junior Achievement (JA) mentor when I was in high school and I terrorized the poor guy. Yet, he saw something in me that a lot of people didn’t. I was the loud, opinionated, typical know-it-all high school girl. He pushed me to become president of my JA organization. JA, for those of you who have never heard of it, is an organization that creates different “companies” within the different town’s high schools and teaches business models. Not only was my class one of the most successful groups in JA’s history, I was named runner-up President of the Year and won the college scholarship offered. It was that night that I spoke at the annual JA convention in front of hundreds of people and thought, hey, maybe I should set some higher goals for myself- Maybe Bruce, my mentor, is right. I remember him running up to me and shaking me yelling “You got the money! We won the money! That’s what’s important!” He’s English and has an English accent so knowing me; I mocked him and his accent all night after his proclamation.
That’s when I started applying to colleges. And eventually went on to graduate from Pace University with a Bachelors and Sacred Heart University with a Masters. I can’t even believe that I had decided not to attend college until that point. Anyway, fast forward 15 years, we are still great friends and along the way he married the most beautiful, intelligent woman. She and I became quick friends and our personalities are almost identical. She has the same sarcasm, sick sense of humor and outgoingness that I have become proud of. (Not to mention fondness for the occasional Cabernet) She gave birth to two beautiful little girls. They are now 3 and 4 years old. I’ll always remember the night that I told her that I was having a girl. She was so excited. One night, they came to one of my comedy shows and after the show she told me that she hoped that her daughters would grow up to be like me. I can honestly say that was one of the biggest compliments I have ever received in my entire life.
So, anyway, I e-mailed her a few weeks ago to ask her about daycares in her area (I have friends relocating to her town and wanted to learn more for them… remember I’m a Realtor) and instead of the usual friendly e-mail back, the e-mail simply said “Are you still up? Call me.” So I did. And she told me that she had been keeping it a secret for a couple of months now but she knew it was time to come out and to tell everyone that she had breast cancer. She was scheduled to have them both removed, and most importantly, she wasn’t afraid. Remember, she is still in her 30’s. I was devastated for her. Her eternal optimism astounded me. I’ve been thinking non-stop about her, her incredible husband, and her two beautiful little girls.
So as Hayden keeps up with her usual antics, I’ve been looking at her in a whole new light. I’ve been thanking God for every day that he gives me with her. When she ripped up a contract that I had signed from clients earlier this week, I didn’t scream. (Although I did breathe a sigh of relief that I had already faxed it to an attorney) When she kept me up all night last night crying because Orange (her stuffed animal) had “jumped” overboard, I didn’t get angry. I think it’s important to remember that Mommyhood is such a frantic time in all of our lives. We stress the little things way too much. We need to be thankful for our little ones, for our health and remember that everything can change in the blink of an eye.
So, my incredible friend is recovering right now from her surgery. To make matters even more interesting, she has created a website that documents her cancer day by day. Of course she did. 
If you have the time, please check out her site, cancerbytheday.com. She is truly an outstanding friend, wife, and most importantly, Mommy. I know she reads her comments regularly, so please don’t hesitate to drop her a note.