TLC -- Teens Living with Cancer

On Wednesday evening the local group Teens Living with Cancer had a picnic. I'd been on the phone with them -- a "group" -- people had urged Nadine and me to go to something (parents get together too). My first thoughts right after this started was "Why do I need an extra group of people? We have plenty of community" and indeed we do. Nadine in turn didn't feel up to going to anything anyway. However, over the last few weeks I've felt the need to be face-to-face with people living day-to-day or year-to-year with all of this, and Nadine was up to going Wednesday, and the picnic was happening....The "kids" would be having a dinner picnic, with parents invited for dessert. Soon families arrived.

It took place at the home of Lauren Spiker, who is courageous and gracious, determined that there be a place for these teens to be together; we met Leah, a young-adult cancer survivor who also works with the group. There was a beautiful garden there. It being my birthday, Nadine had asked what I'd wanted and I'd suggested a short excursion to the park. However, she hadn't been up to it after her (reduced) chemo that day, and we'd gone back home. And there was a garden that could rival any park, resplendent in magnificent colors of flowers cascading.

Families started arriving with glossy-eyed, vivacious teen girls -- they quickly took Nadine into their company, Nadine responded like "one of the pack" and all of them trooped off. Two young men arrived a bit later. I peeked over, and all looked happy to be together. One of the other moms was there, and we ended up spending the time there in another room -- we were offered dinner too, and chatted about music, art, and teens with cancer all at once. Later, other parents arrived, and there was much talk and commonality. I felt we all had something to add. There was a pair of young people who had just gotten married the past Saturday, each survivors. For all of us, living with cancer was a part of our lives, and yet we celebrated the other parts as well (I was afraid that cancer would be the only topic). I realize there are some kinds of help that can only come from other families on this road -- I in turn am happy to share what I've experienced.

After dinner everyone had dessert together; then some kind of contraption game like a three-legged race on boards. Phone numbers were exchanged; there is another activity next Tuesday night.

One of the girls had a "head" of curly hair -- her original hair was straight. We've heard that when hair grows back, it's often different in color and texture than it started. I'm not looking forward to this change if it happens -- I want Nadine's hair just the way it was. But Nadine is excited about the possibility of a change -- right now she's rooting for dark and straight I think. Oh well, it's not like either of us get to choose.

Oh yes, there was also Kim, a glossy-black-haired young adult whom I met briefly at the hospital. She was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at about 21 (about 4 years ago) and was on the same floor (414) that Nadine had been on. Since then, she went to nursing school and just graduated. Happily, she now has a job as a nurse on 414, the same floor she was on as a leukemia patient! Nadine told me one of the nurses said that she, too, would make a good nurse.

People stayed on until it was close to dark, before dispersing in the slow kind of way that people do in nice kinds of gatherings. Lauren accompanied us to the car and waved to us.

It was both a fun and inspiring day -- I'm so happy Nadine and I both can be with these folks.