Life Lessons

Over the past few months I have been undergoing a series of tests and x-rays and CT scans to try and discover why I have this prolonged cough. The conclusion for now is asthma! Whew! I was worried there for a while as there was talk of chronic lung infections and yada yada...the waiting for test results has been tough and I feel a weight lifted for now.

Today I was at the gym and my trainer/friend Hillary came over to me as I was huffing and puffing away on the bike and watching the shoe "Ellen" (which is hilarious, by the way), I asked her the usual stuff about holidays and her recent absence from the gym...I questioned about a possible vacation. As I was waiting to to hear about this warm weather vacation so I could vicariously live through her "fun in the sun", I was surprised to hear her confess to me that she has been undergoing a series of serious tests...spinal MRI's, "regular" MRI's, spinal taps (yes, that is plural) and so on...to find out she has a brain tumor! It is directly in the middle of her brain, of which less than 7% of brain tumors are. She has been having serious side effects like inability to sleep, and then narcolepsy, her thyroid stopped working because of her lack of sleep...the tumor is inoperable and she just has to live with it until they can learn more. In the mean time the docs are trying to stabilize her symptoms. She was so strong in telling me all about it, answering my questions.

After hearing all about this it really put my little persistent cough into perspective. What an eye opener. She is younger than me, newly married and a new home-owner. No kids...yet...if ever now.

I am a very lucky woman.