Happy Valentine's Day. I thought that I (andrea) would use the holiday as a chance to write about love and cancer. Angela's diagnosis and our involvement with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has brought up a lot of emotions around this that I had long burried--sort of.
As Murph wrote on Sunday, we don't usually look for ways to talk about cancer--certainly not with strangers--but really getting involved with Team in Training creates those opportunities. When Murph speaks about it to a group of people, they're moved. People tear up and some reach out and want to talk about it more with us because they can relate. So many people have had some kind of cancer touch their own lives or threaten the life of someone that they love dearly.
And for me, when Murph was diagnosised with Hodgkin's disease, it was one of the moments of my life that I will never forget. The world stopped turning on its axis and my heart broke wide open. And it hurt like hell and I've never been more scared in my life but the things that mattered to me also became so incredibly clear. That part of it was a gift. I got over my own junk and only wanted for him to get better--which thank God he has--and with my junk out of the way I found within myself a greater capacity for love, for myself and him and others. And that, when it comes down to it is why I have to do this, why we have to get better at finding cures for all cancers.
Because there's very little else I can do. And that is frustrating when you would move heaven and earth for someone. Because I love Murph and I want nothing more than for him to share his life with me for as long as possible. Because Angela needs to be around to love her husband and children and they her. Because Marie, a 15 year-old honored teammate for the NYC Triathlon team, needs to be around to love and be loved by her family and friends--and to grow up and fall crazy in love. So today I celebrate that cancer already doesn't have to equal a funeral, it can be cured in more and more cases all the time. But I'm not taking any chances with the people I love.
posted by johnandrea @ 8:01 AM
1 Comments:
I'm going to have to stop reading your blog.
When I saw the snow angel, all I could think of was one of my favorite Christams songs from Chris Williamson. She sees her daughter in the yard on a snowy day and sings "snow angel - oh jubilee! I bless the day the angel came to me.' And my heart sings that about my snow angel John (even if he is twenty something).
Then tonight, Andrea! Such eloquent heartstring pulling! I can't stand it. I'm choked up and moved beyond moved. You are doing such great things, both of you, raising money to fund cures, but also sharing your pain and triumph, and I am ever grateful that this is how we are dealing with cancer. We don't let it eat us - we beat it, with love and living and sharing and fighting and swimming and biking and running! Go Team!
Happy Valentine's Day indeed!
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