Everything today has been pretty mellow. I slept in, chilled around the house, did laundry, talked on the phone, all around did nothing too exciting. Matter of fact I was in a good mood, enjoying the day and the opportunity to relax. My friend Crystal and I headed into work together and that's when everything changed.
Going up the stairs I saw a piece of paper over the time clock where we punch in for our shifts. It stated that my friend and co-worker, Patty, lost her battle against cancer this last Sunday. Her memorial service is Thursday morning.
She has two very young children and was engaged to their father. They were going to get married in just a couple of weeks. They had asked me to take their engagement photos and we made plans to do so next week. I was going to photograph their wedding too. They got engaged last September.
She went on medical leave in late January or early February and never told anyone the reason why. Having noticed her missing for a few days I asked where she had gone, worried that for some absurd reason she may have been fired. I was told she was just on temporary leave. Apparently she went through various tests which came to reveal that she had cancer (no one at work knows what kind of cancer it was). She went into surgery nearly right away and began chemo treatments in mid-March, (At least from what I've been told). That means a little over two months passed from knowing about and treating it to this...
I cried. And it wasn't about it being unfair, no, it was because of the people she was leaving behind. Two of the sweetest little kids I've met and her fiance. They won't have her at their important events, at their holidays, or in their everyday lives in a real way anymore. Her youngest probably won't be able to recall what Mom looked or sounded like later on. Her oldest will probably only have shadows of memories to remember a few bits and pieces. I can't ever, or want to, imagine the heartbreak and pain her fiance is going through.
The months leading up to all of this, she spent most of the time at work: picking up extra shifts, being trained to take new positions, and always trying to get more hours. She wanted to make sure her family was provided for. You could see the strain of trying to make sure the bills are paid, the kids are clothed and fed, and coordinating childcare, in addition to the holiday season just having ended and planning a wedding. Yet I wonder how much time she was able to spend with them... They can't get her back. She did her best without a doubt to provide. She was one of the best co-workers I've ever come across and a very giving and determined person. She had moved her family here to give them a better living situation, more opportunities and a solid foundation. She told me that she wanted to make sure that her kids could grow up in an area where street violence wasn't common, and to be closer to family. I pray that their families will pull together to support her fiance and their children. I pray that they will bring comfort, love and peace...
It breaks my heart.
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