Support in the moment

We have been remarkably blessed to have a friend who is a breast cancer pathologist in another province. He read my medical reports and guided us to a deeper understanding of what they meant and the various treatment options. And, he was always optimistic and encouraging!

Another physician friend, came to the hospital to sit with Angie when she fell in March and was alone in the Emergency Ward. I’d been ordered out by Angie as I was about to start chemotherapy. Our friend also came the next day to be with me after my first chemotherapy treatment. A friend flew in from Newfoundland to be live with us for the week of my second chemotherapy after Angie had broken her shoulder.

As to which, a friend set up a ‘shoulder circle’ to share information and organize assistance when we were in crisis after Angie’s fall. A friend who’d had a similar fall lent us a very good shoulder sling. When Angie needed to get home from the hospital (I wasn't driving at that point), friends came to pick her up.

When it was time for my surgery, a colleague who’d had breast cancer surgery, sourced and delivered some foam wedges to help me after surgery.

We appreciated all of these offerings and others of the same kind not mentioned in this short post.