It’s that time of year when I photograph breast cancer survivors for a local hospital’s annual exhibition and calendar. A member of the club, I feel now that the subjects trust me more.
Or maybe I trust myself with them more.
The theme this year is “support.” I have asked each woman to come to our photo shoot with someone who has been an emotional safety net.
Monica brought along her best friend. Pam has been there for her through it all. Unwavering support.
Talking to Monica and Pam brought back my own memories. And oh how my girlfriends were there for me.
The morning of my mastectomy… Eddie was so sick he couldn’t get out of bed. One quick call to a close girlfriend, and there she was to pick me up to go the hospital for my 6 AM check-in. She stayed the entire day.
That night, in the dimmed light of my hospital room, I saw (through the fuzzy haze of the morphine drip) four other close girlfriends sitting on the bed with me. There was a lot laughter. And a few trashy magazines and some candy, too.
Another girlfriend made sure I had a hand knitted shawl (in my favorite colors) to keep me warm as I was recovering at home. Another stocked my refrigerator with dinners for a week. Another made sure I had a new pair of comfy, warm, flannel pajamas – with pockets to hold the ports from surgery. Still others came over to just listen quietly while I moaned through weeks of reconstruction.
I know what Monica was talking about.
Girlfriends. Nothing much can compare.
1 comment:
Oh, Gloria. This first peek at the images for this year's Faces just takes my breath away. Just beautiful! As always!
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