Prayers for a Friend

Anybody have a best friend? You know – the one person in the whole world you can and do tell everything to? The person who knows things about you that even your own family doesn’t know. The person who sees you through the absolute worst times in your life and celebrates the best times.

For the last 20 years that person for me has been my friend Andrea. I don’t have a lot of friends – I’m actually not very social. Don’t drink – hate bars. Would basically prefer to read a good book then just about anything else. There is a group of six of us that have stayed friends for better than 2 decades through moves (2 of the group live in Hawaii) and life changes. But within that group Andrea is the absolute best friend I have ever had.

She’s in the hospital. She’s scheduled for an exploratory thoracotomy Monday afternoon. A CT scan done for pain in her right shoulder showed a 5 cm mass in her lung. Everyone is telling her it could be an abscess. Everyone but the surgeon. He told her it looks like a tumor to him – possibly a chondrosarcoma. She’s 41.

My boss, for whom I’ve worked for 16 years, is dying of a chondrosarcoma. He was diagnosed 3 and 1/2 years ago, has had 3 surgeries at Sloan Kettering (it’s in his neck)and 2 bouts of radiation. It’s back after his last surgery 2 months ago – they are talking chemo for “quality of life.” He is now bald and can’t use his left arm. It’s only a matter of time and that is what the surgeon thinks Andrea might have.

I am so freakin’ scared right now I can’t even think straight. Actually, freaking out is a pretty accurate description of me at the moment. I can’t imagine what Andrea is going through. I’m going up to see her tomorrow. Her brother and his girl friend are going to stay up there for a few days.

She dances – takes ballet at night. She just started practicing for her annual recital. She hikes. She has never smoked a day in her life. And the surgeon is talking about taking out the lung lobe if it is a tumor! If it has grown into a rib she’ll need a bone graft. Did I mention she is 41?

It could still be an abscess. I’m telling myself that every other minute. Or something else weird. It happens all the time on House.

So, please, if you can – say some prayers for her? She’s a very special person.

God, I am so scared. I wish she didn’t have to wait 2 days to find out. She said that’s the worst part right now. Just not knowing. Having to wait but knowing they bumped other surgeries to get her in that fast.

Sorry this is so long but I needed to get it out before I see her tomorrow. I’m bringing her Melody’s A Cat Cradle for her hospital room. I find that piece very soothing. I hope she will too.

Thanks.

Thanks, guys. I appreciate all the good thoughts and the positive story! 😀

I just got back from visiting her. Andrea seems in good spirits – much better than I would be. She really likes her surgeon, even though everyone tells her he has lousy bedside manner but is a great surgeon. They evidently connected. So that’s a plus.

Unfortunately, she is his third surgery tomorrow so no set time yet. I figure tomorrow is going to be a verrrrryyyy long day.

Thanks again.