Angel

I went to a funeral yesterday for someone who I had known - albeit briefly - through a colon support group. Her name was Angel, which is appropriate. There were pictures of her from her life before the colon cancer and to see someone young (she was 31) and vibrant was particularly hard. One of the people paying respects read a poem that talked about thinking of death as an adventure, not something to be feared. I liked that sentiment. Her oncologist also spoke and said how she had touched his life. She would often refer to him as her "boyfriend", but could never replace the love of her life - her husband. He was mentioned by several people and the person I have spoken to more. He was a real fighter for her. I had not realized that at first her insurance company declined the cancer treatment expenses, indicating it was a pre-existing condition. It required they hire a lawyer to fight it. They won, but what a difficult battle to go through. One of the speakers indicated that Angel would often talk about issues in the marriage - buying a house, cleaning, etc. - but never once had an issue that she had married the wrong person. It was a wonderful testament to love.

It is natural to think about the other person, as well as yourself in these situations. I reflected that my next set of tests are coming in July and I am a bit afraid. I am glad that I have an oncologist who I feel is competent as well as understanding.