Cancer and Friends

Yesterday I got back from a quick 2 day visit to Virginia Beach to visit a dear friend and distant cousin, who has been battling Pancreatic Cancer.  Actually today marks 5 years from her first diagnosis! (It was 5 years ago in the beginning of October that Margie described feeling "mothy" just not quite right.)

 I met Margie with 4 other North American Forum team members when I was an Intern (learning about how to present on the Forum Beginnings and Beyond Institute) in Chicago in the summer of 2002 - just before World Youth Day in Toronto!
It was after some conversation that Margie and I discovered a common ancestry in her grandmother's Canadian roots.  Ever since that Institute the 6 of us have been terrific friends - partly because the local co-ordinator was so poor - and the facility was less than ideal (poor physical set up, poor lunch time service in the cafeteria, and really poor quality of food). It meant we bonded together in a way that a team never has before or since in over 100 of these institutes across North America!  We call ourselves the Chicago 6!
Since the fall of 2003 we have been gathering at each other's homes in an annual rotation - starting at Fr. Rick Conway's place in Andover, Massachusetts.  This year was my year to host, but due to Margie's condition, we decided to go to Virginia Beach this year.
We traveled, cooked, dined, prayed, anointed, and shared stories together.  It was a very grace-filled time, even as we realized that Margie is already in the 1% of people who celebrate 5 years of survival with this diagnosis.  Because Margie's Husband - Jim - is a retired Military (Navy) man, Margie has had access to top notch treatment options.  She has also been supported by, and herself has been a support to, many people in her faith and social networks...
I will continue to pray for Margie, my friend and my cousin, and ask you to keep her in your prayers also.
Peace.