If you have been a long time blog buddy of mine, you will know that every three months or so, my friend Bonnie and I would get together for some sort of adventure,hiking, canoeing,visiting some new place...
But you haven't really heard about Bonnie since last year...
In Dec she started feeling horrible, losing weight, her blood pressure shot up, her
hair started falling out...she was one of those persons caught in the middle with no
being too young for Medicare, yet her much older husband received too much money
in SS and hi little part time job that the payment for health insurance from the
market place was more then they could afford.
So I went with her to her first appt to a clinic, where they said she had diabetes and
high blood pressure and gave her some pills....that didn't work... back to the clinic
where they sent her to a hematologist ( credit card bills were mounting) who
diagnosed her with a rare blood disease called polycytheimia vera ..treatment to
draw a bunch of blood from her every 3 weeks ( family and her church started
chipping in to cover cost). Instead of getting stronger she got much weaker, losing
more weight , the clinic told her it was just nerves... more pills... her blood pressure
and diabetes were out of control.....
Bonnie would cry and say she knew she was dying, and I really could not try and tell
different, because my heart told me she was...
So in April, not long after my mom's death, Bonnie had her husband call 911, she
said she wanted to die in the hospital instead of at home, cause she hadn't had a
chance to clean....then the real testing began..
She did NOT have diabetes, high blood pressure, bad nerves, or polycythemia vera...
she had adrenal cancer, that had grown in to such a gelatinous mass and invaded so
many other organs.... she went home to hospice...and then, the end of May.... she
went home to the Lord.
I was honored to speak at her memorial service, and be with her family during that
time...but for me...
My mother just passed away, my uncle passed away, I had spent many hours helping
Jeremy, Kathy, Wyatt and Ethan with Kathy's bed rest and then little preemie
Carter....I had traveled back and forth to the hospital to spend time with Bonnie, I
helped Josh and Jenn when Savannah was born, and then Jenn was hospitalized
with post partum proclampsia I was there... toss in Dyls and Camryn, getting married,
I was tired...and I on purpose did not allow myself to grieve the passing of my dear
friend ( Kudos to my friend Kathi for knowing me well enough to drive down from PA
for some much needed girl time)
But this Sept, I look at my list for Sept, and those things Bonnie and I had plannned
hit me hard, no hikes, no planting , no canoeing, no pie making... tears came...
waiting for the right time to fall I guess.... not blended with all the other tears of the
past year, but special Bonnie tears...... I miss you my friend.... but oh how I rejoice
in your new body, with the Jesus you loved so much!
See you on the other side!..
