It was partially a really good thing to do and partially a really good way to get out of work! I came in for a couple of hours just to let everyone know I was going to be out. I left a little early just to be sure I was on time. Driving, worrying. Not sure why I was doing this or what it was going to entail exactly. Relieved that I was able to reach back when a friend was reaching out in need. Can I call him a friend? That's weird to say actually. He's been in my life for almost a decade. Helping figure my shit out. Supporting. Joking. Fixing. Flattering. Being there was one of my favorite places in the world. To find out he was gone from his space and in a hospital bed instead, broke that world. The distance of time felt like too much to span. But he had made me feel so loved and I wanted to make him feel the same. Such a different experience this time around. Getting to be a part of it. Witness. Support. Friend. Help. So I arrived with plenty of time and found my way to the room. I filled out the forms and chewed the calcium they asked me to. I was frightened but just kept thinking how much easier I had it than he did. And in the end it wasn't that bad. It was a perfect day of new beginnings and I was hoping to be a part of yours.
One of my favorite people in this not-always-so-friendly business is Stuart Bartell*. He's the glue that holds together a post house I used to go to all the time called SSI. Well, 3 or so weeks ago he was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. He's not the first friend I've known whose had to deal with this demon we call cancer but he was the first to reach out and let us all be a part of it. This man has been beyond good to me in the years I have known him so the least I could do was answer the call when he needed platelets donated. News has been mixed but he's fighting and we're all in his corner. And I'm glad that I have been a part of his life and his fight for his life.
*I never use real names but I figured if I put this out in the universe the more people thinking positive thoughts for him the better.
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