Two years ago on March 20, 2019, we got the devastating news that Mike, the love of my life, had a body full of Lymphoma and blood full of Leukemia. Just a few days shy of our 5 year anniversary, all I could think was it wasn't fair because we hadn't had enough time together yet. Life changed in the blink of an eye. Things that were important to me no longer seemed to matter.
In the coming weeks, we would connect with my hero, Dr. Hadley, who was more determined than we were to save Mike's life. With confirmation from another hematologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, we were certain we found the right team and trusted the treatment plan Dr. Hadley devised for us.
It was uncharted territory for us We found strength in our family and friends and in each other. Meals arrived at our doorstep from all over Louisville. We received the generosity of so many friends with gift cards to restaurants, laundry services and home cleaning services. A parade of Mike's former Soccer Players came through our home. Friends reached out and supported us from around the world. It meant so much, but there was still a piece missing. Missing, that is, until we found Gilda's Club.
I saw a flyer about Gilda's on a visit to the Cancer Institute with Mike one day and I thought I would check it out. From the moment I walked through the doors for my orientation, I felt like I was being welcomed into someone's home- Gilda's Home. I connected with other spouses and care givers. Shared meals with other families going through similar circumstances. Hearing other people's stories and learning from them humbled me.
My last visit to Gilda's Club before COVID shut everything down was in early March, 2020 when a group of my colleagues from Atria Senior Living and I volunteered to set up for the annual Mardi Gras Party. It was awesome to give back to my amazing family at Gilda's! Gilda's has remained a source of comfort and calm for me, even though we have been absent from the building for so long and I can't wait to reconnect with everyone there when the time is right.
In the meantime, there have been so many challenges that have required a tremendous amount of courage in the last two years and I've decided to join the Over The Edge event to help raise money for the home I found at Gilda's so that the benefits of this amazing place can be enjoyed for all of the families in need of support until there is no more cancer.
At one of his first chemo treatments, Mike snapped a picture of himself all hooked up to the chemo machines and said something like "This is how you tell your family you love them." How do you top that? In the name of love, you rappel down a building.
If you can, please support my Over The Edge experience financially- it will do so much to help so many people. If you can't, please cheer me on and say a prayer that I don't go splat. And say a prayer for all the other cancer warriors in the world. This is probably one of the hardest things I will do in my life but it's nothing compared to fighting cancer.