Tyler and Mary

Those of you who know me know I have two step-children. Tyler is 22 and on his way to becoming a respectable young man. He no longer lives at home but comes by now and again to hang out. And eat. Mary is 18 and spends one week with us and one week with her mom. She is a special girl with special needs related to an accident she was in almost 10 years ago. To put it into perspective, what I am going thru now is horrible, but it will end someday, on a happy note. What Mary is going thru now is horrible and will follow her throughout her life.

Alan and I decided to tell Tyler and Mary this news yesterday. Separately. We wanted to explain it to Mary in quite the same way we explained it to Michelle, and not tell her yet about the mastectomy and chemo, to give her time to process this info without putting her on overload. She handled it well and immediately got on the web to find me the right treatment. Mary would do anything she could to help anyone.

We treated Tyler like the young man that he is. Actually, I sat down alone with him and told him. It’s so hard to say those words out loud “I have breast cancer.” I didn’t hold anything back. He knows everything we do. And I directed him here to this blog also, in case he wants to get inside my head. And he likes that getting inside other peoples head stuff. And he respects the written word. We may not be related by blood but we do have that in common. He took it well and gave me the best hug I have ever gotten from him in all these years. And I told him he had to come mow the lawn this summer.

So now everyone knows. Except for all those people who don’t. Those people who live on the periphery of my life. The people I like well enough but don’t really know. The “mom” friends. The folks across the street. You know, those people. And I really wish the news would spread so I don’t have to say those words again.