Catching Up with an Old Friend

In 2004 I met a very cool guy and his wife. He had been diagnosed with leukemia and became a patient of mine. He and I connected right away and I pretty much became his nurse whenever he was there. Despite the fact that he was in the hospital for cancer treatment, we made it fun. I shaved his hair into a Mohawk and died it purple; more than once he doused me with silly string as I walked in to check on him; once he lost all his hair we gave him the nickname 'Uncle Fester'. Obviously not all patients would receive this treatment (LOL) but he wouldn't have it any other way. He had a hard fight but about a year later was cancer free. After his 'cure' he, his wife and I would meet for dinner every few months to catch up on things. Although he was old enough to be my dad, he became a good friend.

In 2007 he relapsed. His leukemia came back, and this time could not be fought. He tried chemo, a transplant, everything. It didn't work. He died in February of 2008. The world lost a great guy that day.

Every so often his wife and I meet for dinner. Tonight was such a night. It had been forever since I had seen her. With being pregnant last year and then the insanity of this year, we let time slip by. She looked good. She still gets quiet when she talks about him. You can see how much she misses him. This was both their second marriages. He had two girls from his previous marriage who she loved to death and thankfully she is still very involved with them. They each have a son, so she enjoys being a grandparent to them. I wanted to ask her if she had started dating, but the time never seemed right. For the most part she seemed happy, but a sadness does creep over her every so often.

I'm glad the twins were in good, friendly moods as they spoke and played with her. M was a little fussy but overall did well. We definitely need to meet up again soon.

***When I was naming M, his middle name was going to be Carter after my lost friend, but since S's middle name is also after someone who had passed I decided to use another name. After last night, a remembering my lost friend, I really regret not going with my first choice and naming him Max Carter. ***