This Thursday is my favorite holiday of the year — I love Thanksgiving. It’s probably because it includes the following: spending time with my family, eating delicious food, watching football games, and watching early-season basketball tournaments. In recent years, I’ve also added a new tradition to my holiday week — spending a few hours calling students who have been admitted to FSU PC for the subsequent year.

Hurricane Michael Aftermath

I am acutely aware of a large number of students, and others in our community who (in addition to the stress of the holidays and the end of the semester) continue to face the challenges left behind by Hurricane Michael. Working with those who are still struggling has inspired me to reflect on my own family’s blessings. It’s helped me understand the true importance of family and of friends.

Facing Our Own Family Hurdles 

This past July my wife of 38 years, Jerri, was diagnosed with breast cancer. Since then, she has been receiving excellent treatment in Jacksonville, FL at Mayo Clinic, as well as here in Panama City. During a follow-up appointment at Mayo last week, we received some good news —her tumor responded well to the chemotherapy. She still has treatments ahead of her, including surgery and possibly radiation, but we are enjoying this bit of happy news.

This experience has taught me a lot about life!

First

I think it is important to celebrate everything. As humans, we crave definite answers to our questions. We want to know when we can put our present struggles in the past. We want our fears assuaged, and our concerns addressed.

Cancer, as I have found, doesn’t care about reassurance. In many cases, cancer patients must become comfortable with a scan being inconclusive, a treatment being experimental, or surgery being untested. So, when something sounds like good news it is best to celebrate.

Second

I’ve learned how far science and innovation have come in the treatment of cancer, and how far there is to go. Jerri is receiving an intense regiment of chemotherapy drugs, one of which was invented here at Florida State in the mid-1990’s, by the father of one of my daughter’s elementary school classmates. The fact that breast cancer is so common — 1 in 8 women will be affected in their lifetime — has allowed it to become a research priority around the world, giving patients new treatment options nearly every week.

Remaining Silent

For a while, we kept the news of Jerri’s diagnosis to ourselves. But once she was scheduled to start chemo our daughter, Grace Ellen, kicked things into high gear. At the suggestion of our dear college friend Helen Townsend, Grace Ellen reached out to Jerri’s massive group of friends;  people from her childhood, her college years, and other seasons of her life. While keeping it a secret, Grace Ellen’s roommate Cholette did some pretty masterful work behind the scenes finding these friends (who are scattered all over the country). During her first chemo treatment, Jerri received a video with messages from more than 30 people – all rooting for her and wishing her well. Some of the messages were serious, a lot of them funny, and all of them were supportive and appreciative towards my wife.

The Support Keeps Pouring In

Every day, Jerri receives a text, a call, or an email from someone; and many days I do as well. Our powerful support group of treasured friends (many of whom we have not seen in years) hit home last week when we were at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville for a checkup. Jerri had lunch with her college roommate. Over the years, the two of them had maintained a long-distance relationship (via phone), but not physically seen each other since our wedding day in 1981.

We also received word from one of her sorority sisters who was a great friend of both of ours back in our college days. This friend had previously sent Grace Ellen a video to include in Jerri’s video message when she decided to get a mammogram for herself. It revealed breast cancer at one of the earliest stages. Thankfully she was able to receive quick, complete, and curative treatment.

Reflecting on Life

This past week, Grace Ellen flew down from grad school at George Washington University, and attended the consults we had at Mayo Clinic before coming home to Panama City for the holiday. As we left the hospital, we all celebrated Jerri’s good news, and looked forward to stopping by Tallahassee on our way home to meet up with a group of friends. When my children were young, I decided to train for my first marathon. While doing so, I got to know a wonderful group of people, who ran at 5:30 am, several mornings a week. They called themselves the “EarlyGirlz”, after their five original female members. The name has stuck for over 20 years, even with the addition of new members — who are neither early risers nor female!

After receiving our good news, we enjoyed a celebratory lunch with roughly twenty EarlyGirlz members, as well as with our son Curtis. It is always wonderful to be surrounded by these dear friends —a relationship that’s been 25 years in the making. We have played together, laughed together, cried together, and supported each other through difficult times. These times remind us how thankful we are to have people like them as our extended family.

Our Many Blessings

This Thanksgiving we give thanks for our many blessings including our health, our friends, and our family. But we also give thanks to those in our community who continue to support those in need— whether financially, physically, or emotionally — due to Hurricane Michael. Let us not only spread our time and our treasures to those in need, but also make sure we provide daily encouragement to all around us.

 

Happy Thanksgiving

From Randy, Jerri, Curtis, and Grace Ellen.