9.19.2012

flashbacks, cancer & nostalgia

flashbacks.

I love remembering things I've forgotten about. That might sound weird, but it's like watching an entire movie in your head. I was thinking about college yesterday. The glory days. I went to three different colleges, two colleges back in FL & got my AA, then transferred to BYU to finish up. A lot of memories are really fuzzy (turns out I have a really bad long term memory). I was going to type out some of my favorite memories, but pictures are worth a thousand words, right? 


Basically I wouldn't trade that time in my life for ANYTHING. Loved every minute of it.

cancer & nostalgia.

You know how facebook will like show you a random status update of someone you haven't seen a post from in forever? That happened. A girl from college (hence the previous flashbacks) popped up on my news feed. It caught my eye because someone posted on her wall that they were praying for her and knew she could fight it. ...fight what? People only "fight" a number of things. I started looking more on her page, and along with countless words of encouragement I found a link to this website that her brother posted on her wall:


Cancer. Janae has cancer. Janae and I went to BYU together. We were in the El Ed program and in the same cohort (a group of about 30 girls that you take all the same classes with). We all knew each other pretty well, since we sat through all of the same classes day after day.

We wondered things like, "Can Sis. Neff spread her fingers any FARTHER apart when she talks?" "I'm pretty sure our science teacher is where they got the idea for Miss Frizzle." "Joe...why is Joe so weird?" "If I have to learn ONE more court case about Special Ed..."

In reading Janae's story, I learned she went to the doctor for what she thought was a sinus infection, only to learn after a CT scan she had a malignant tumor. She had the tumor removed and is going through chemo and radiation. 
Wow. This is one of those moment's that made life snap back to reality. I thought, "That is so unfair. She is way too young and talented for this to happen to her." That made me realize anything can happen to anyone with no prior warning. She typed this on her website:

"I've been promised a long, healthy life as long as I do nothing to jeopardize that. I don't think I have, so I will keep having faith that whatever I'm going through is for a purpose....perhaps to teach me more empathy. For longer or shorter, though, I don't think I will be dealing with this forever."

What incredible faith and strength. I can't imagine what she has had to accept and deal with in such a short period of time, and I also can't imagine that I would handle the situation as well as she appears to be.  

So when you have a minute today, send up a prayer in behalf of Janae. I know she would appreciate you doing so.

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