Wednesday, March 3

In Memory of Becky

Flower and Garden Festival
Walt Disney World, Epcot
Katy, 2006

A friend of mine pasted away this week. Becky was a wonderful spirit. I want to tell you a fun story about her, that captures her essences. Its hard to find one though. Not because there aren't many, but when I tell them, they don't seem right. I can pass on her words, but not her tone of voice, her facial expressions.

I have told her time and again that she saved my life. Really, she did. The third time my cancer returned the blood counts were up, my symptoms were starting to return, but for all the tests and scans the doctors were having a hard time finding the tumor. The one day at lunch, Becky looked at me.

What's wrong? You look like you have a headache.
I do.
Call your doctor and tell him.
Yeah, okay.
I mean it.
Yeah.

I went back to work and didn't call my doctor. I worked with Becky's sister, Christy at the time. An hour after lunch Becky called to see what the doctor had said. When I told her I had not called yet she called Christy.

Go stand in front of her desk until she calls.

Christy did. I did. The intern was kind of impertinent.
We already did a scan of your brain.
I know, I'm just passing on the information. Do with it what you will.

They did another scan, and another and found a nickel sized spot on my brain.

There are other stories that are funnier. Really if you knew Becky, if her heard her talking through all of that, this story, as dramic as it sounds, is really just plan funny. I had a fit of uncontrolable laughter when they told me I had a brain tumor because of Becky. With Becky around it was impossible not to know that everything was just going to work out for the best. That no matter what, it would all be okay. And really, eventhough that incredible spark in her eyes has left, I can't help but feel like everything has worked out for the best. Its all going to be okay.

6 comments:

The Bug said...

Lovely. I want to be remembered that way.

caitlingrace said...

Sounds like agreat friend.

Jo said...

Omigosh, Katy, I'm so sorry for your loss. You must be feeling just devastated. I think Becky would chuckle at your post today.

I hope you are okay too...!

robin said...

Becky is a beautiful soul. I am saddened for your loss and for Christy's loss.

Katy said...

Thank you all for your wonderful comments.

Land of shimp said...

Katy, that is an absolutely wonderful way to remember your friend. Thank you for sharing the story. By the way, Christy sounds like an awfully good person, and friend, too. Not that long ago I was having several discussions about what constitutes an afterlife for the people who remain behind.

I'm not talking about the spiritual "life after death" but what keeps people alive in our living reality. The fact that your friend literally helped save your life is something that means a part of her lives on.

I'm sorry you lost your friend, and not just a friend, a person who loved you enough to just risk being a pain in the rear-end with her insistence. She loved you enough to look after you. You must feel the loss rather keenly.