I hear stories of people going through cancer treatment who actually have friends and family members hang them out to dry. For whatever reason, they back away and become distant. Maybe they feel depressed because of their loved one's condition. Maybe they can't think of anything encouraging to say. Maybe they just aren't equipped to handle the drama. I don't know. But hearing stories like that makes me even more grateful for the people in Mom and Dad's lives. They have been the recipients of more love over the past month than most people receive in a lifetime. I'm not just saying that. I've been blown away by the things people have done. Especially the people who have ditched their hair in the name of solidarity.
My uncle Shahram is one of those people who always seems to know what Dad is really feeling. He has been a calming and comforting influence that I don't know how to put into words. Not just recently, but for as long as I've known him. He's also uniquely qualified to have conversations with Dad and Sam that nobody else can really have. He watched his wife Christine battle stage 4 Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma while she was pregnant with their first child (who is now a beautiful, brilliant, amazing 16 year old girl). You guys, I've only heard stories, but I know it was a brutal experience. Four words: twenty eight spinal taps. TWENTY EIGHT. And I thought an epidural was bad. Shahram and Christine's presence in our lives is not a coincidence. No way. We are so lucky to know them let alone have them in our family. The Lord truly works in mysterious ways.
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