Thankful for Friendship

Posted on April 7, 2014 Updated on April 8, 2014

Friends are one of God’s greatest gifts in my opinion, which has been my opinion for most of my life. I love people and I love my friends. When true friendships are made and bonds are formed, years can go by even 10 or 20 without seeing those friends and you can pick up where you left off. Lately I have been amazed by the quality of the people in my life that are both new and those that have been around for a long time. (Sorry, I just couldn’t call them old.)

I am back from my trip to MD Anderson to be assessed for my non-iodine avid papillary thyroid cancer and well, I am frustrated. My husband and I drove all the way down there to be told that the recommendation was that I be monitored with neck ultrasounds every six months, there is a bright idea – monitor a cancer patient. The doctor said that it was her opinion that the cancer that was just removed was residual cancer from the first occurrence not a recurrence (I don’t agree with the reasoning that brought her to this conclusion). She agrees with my doctor that it is not iodine avid (radioactive iodine is the primary treatment after surgery), but feels that close surveillance is adequate. So you may be wondering why I am frustrated. It is good news that I don’t need treatment right? It is good news, I am thankful for and I agree that currently the benefits of external beam radiation, which would be about the only choice for treatment, do not outweigh the risks. However, I do not think it was necessary for me to drive 12 hours away to be told something that could have been told to me over the phone. Additionally, if this cancer has been there since before my first surgery I have had 3 ultrasounds in that time and not one of them caught it. Those ultrasounds were performed by the MD who is managing my care. So, I personally do not think that monitoring every six months with ultrasounds when I no longer respond to our primary treatment for this kind of cancer, therefore making early detection extremely critical, is adequate. I am actually more than frustrated, I am mad.

So now let us step away from me being mad that I had to make this trip to be told something that I could have been told over the phone to focus on something that makes me angry. My appointments were Wednesday and Thursday. Our plan was to drive from Houston to Dallas on Friday. Friday, our 2003 Chevy Trailblazer, that we just purchased last November, broke down. We took it to a Firestone Friday and after receiving the run-around Friday afternoon and all of Saturday we finally got our truck back Saturday evening. They charged us more than we paid for it and more than its value to repair it. They were closing at 6:00 pm, it was after 5:30, they were closed on Sunday and I had to work on Monday. We were officially between a rock and a hard place. The decision was made to pay it and try and get headed back to Missouri that night. After Nate picked me and our things up from our lovely friends’ home we headed out of town. Following stopping for dinner we got out of the north Houston area at 8:00 pm. I then began looking for hotels in the Dallas area. We found one on our route that we could use our IHG reward points on and booked it. We arrived at that hotel at 11:30 pm only to be told that they did not have a room for us and they did not understand why the website let us book it! That’s right; they did not have a room for us! I looked at Nate with exhausted tears streaming down my face and asked, “Do you just want to go home?” Six and a half hours later we were home at 6 am Sunday.

Yesterday we were able to dispute some of the charges from the Firestone with our credit card. They double charged us for labor. Discover credited us a substantial amount and is taking the dispute up with that independent Firestone dealer. I am still upset over having to make the trip for the information that I gained at MD Anderson. I am also upset because they told me they were available for me at any time (business hours of course) yet I have not received a return phone call for a message I left last Thursday. Additionally, I waved having an in person meeting with my physician on Friday to receive my CT results because she said she would call me and I have yet to receive that phone call as well. It is upsetting to make such effort to go to a world-renown cancer center and receive this kind of service.

Friends, I love friends. Friends are awesome. Friends are a gift. I have an abundance of friends and I am so thankful for every one of them. With all the unfortunate parts of our trip covered let us land on the happy note. Prior to leaving for this trip we were so generously given to by friends and family and offered hotel and home stays by friends that our entire trip (minus the truck repairs) was paid for. The entire trip was paid for. I do not even know how to properly respond to that. That is generosity that has so touched Nate and me after we have worked very hard to get him through school to provide better for our family and to get me healthy. Each of you knows who you are and we sincerely thank you.

Additionally we had a wonderful time catching up with college friends of mine, some that I had not seen in 20 or more years. I was in Rhonda and Bryan’s wedding 20 plus years ago. My dad officiated their wedding, my mom catered it and my little brother was the ring bearer. We stayed with them the first night we were in Houston. I had not seen Rhonda and Bryan since the late 90’s yet it really was as if no time had passed. We had a fantastic visit with them and their three sons. I loved seeing them.

Thursday afternoon we were able to pop in on Julie and Royden and their son Spencer. Julie and I were neighbors as children. We had a lovely visit over a couple of hours with them before making our way over to stay with Sherry and Ryan . I also know Sherry and Ryan from college where I received my first bachelors. Additionally, they welcomed my childhood friend Kristie, she went to college with us as well, into their home. Kristie drove over from Austin just to see me. We had the best time laughing and catching up. Sherry and Ryan are the parents to triplet 6-year-old daughters and a 21 month old daughter. They were a pure delight and were all crazy about Nate. He has a way with the ladies, I cannot deny this. Sherry and Ryan welcomed us back into their home Friday night when our plans to leave were thwarted by our automobile issues. What a blessing that was to have broken down so close to their home.

I have always considered myself a bit of a Pollyanna. I like being positive and I like the silver lining. I have been so aggravated over what I consider a medically pointless trip to MD Anderson and the subsequent pummeling that we received from a dishonest mechanic. I have been angry and I have been tearful. I am so thankful for the welcoming we received from these long-time friends of mine especially because they were the very bright spot in this disappointing trip. I am especially thankful that my best friend was by my side through this ordeal, I do not know what I would do without him.