So this is the day for Fran's 50th birthday party. My sister Judy and niece Nicole have been the prime movers in getting everything into place -- I'm just a gofer on party night, picking up last minute items and taking people to Fran's church parking lot, where the actual surprise occurred. Fran was totally surprised, a hard thing to do because although she likes surprises, she's always trying to figure things out...!
Fran was diagnosed with breast cancer 15 years ago - age 35, no history in the family, low risk because she breast-fed her girls - and still it happened. I wasn't teaching full-time then, so for the six months she had to have chemo, I would stay with her for 2-3 days each month to take care of her then 5 and 8-year-old daughters. This year marks 15 years since that traumatic time in all our lives. I was talking to her neighbor at the party, and one of the things we both remembered was that she never had a negative attitude about the outcome of the disease: she always believed that she would recover. And she did - so much so that she became a dynamo of energy - the ultimate super-mom who was always making sure her girls got to whatever event they were involved in on any given day.
The party was so much fun - I danced for about 2 1/2 hours straight. Perry, Nicole, Alicia, and Perry's mom all gave funny, heart-felt speeches.
Bob was chatting up Fran's neighbors, who seemed to enjoy his stories -- I really don't know because I was sitting with Frank and Wayne's family!!
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