Goodbye, Lisa
The news was there, in my Facebook feed. I saw it during my lunch hour.
A post from one of my friends from synagogue. A photo of one of our mutual friends, with the simple caption: Goodbye, Lisa.
Did that mean what I thought it meant?
I checked my e-mail, and sure enough, there was a notice from the synagogue that Lisa had passed away.
And I cried.
I won't pretend that Lisa and I were the best of friends. We weren't. In fact, I don't think I've even spoken to her in about 3 years. Our friendship was very casual, built mostly on membership in the synagogue and having children the same age. My daughter Jen and her daughter Rebecca were in the same class in Hebrew school, and were friends at day camp; the later attended the same college. Her son Matthew is just a little bit younger than my daughter Becca. When our daughters drifted in different directions, so did we.
But there was a time, about 10 or 11 years ago, when we bonded over something else.
2005 was my year from hell. Chemo, radiation, surgery...I am a cancer survivor. And when I ran into Lisa at services one Saturday, and saw the compression sleeve on her arm, I realized she was dealing with some of the same issues. The only difference between uterine cancer and breast cancer is that her wounds were more visible.
I am healthy now, thank G-d. I cannot help but wonder if that evil demon I fought off claimed the life of my friend.
Rest in peace, Lisa, and may your memory remain for a blessing.
A post from one of my friends from synagogue. A photo of one of our mutual friends, with the simple caption: Goodbye, Lisa.
Did that mean what I thought it meant?
I checked my e-mail, and sure enough, there was a notice from the synagogue that Lisa had passed away.
And I cried.
I won't pretend that Lisa and I were the best of friends. We weren't. In fact, I don't think I've even spoken to her in about 3 years. Our friendship was very casual, built mostly on membership in the synagogue and having children the same age. My daughter Jen and her daughter Rebecca were in the same class in Hebrew school, and were friends at day camp; the later attended the same college. Her son Matthew is just a little bit younger than my daughter Becca. When our daughters drifted in different directions, so did we.
But there was a time, about 10 or 11 years ago, when we bonded over something else.
2005 was my year from hell. Chemo, radiation, surgery...I am a cancer survivor. And when I ran into Lisa at services one Saturday, and saw the compression sleeve on her arm, I realized she was dealing with some of the same issues. The only difference between uterine cancer and breast cancer is that her wounds were more visible.
I am healthy now, thank G-d. I cannot help but wonder if that evil demon I fought off claimed the life of my friend.
Rest in peace, Lisa, and may your memory remain for a blessing.
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