Jan’s Emotional Support Animal

My friend Jan got some bad news a couple of weeks ago. She has given me permission to write about it. 34 years ago as a young mother she got breast cancer. It was caught early and she had all the cutting edge treatments for the time. I met her just a few years after and we became fast friends. She told me then about her cancer survival, but I never thought of her and cancer because she is the most vital person.

Her bad news came with her most recent mammogram. She called me right after she had the squishing, but had not heard from the doctor, saying she knew she had cancer. Of course she was right. She didn’t feel anything and she didn’t feel bad, but she knew. She had to go for another mammogram with contrast and an ultrasound sound and they found some more spots.

She had already made her plan for treatment even before the doctors had one. Their’s matched hers, ‘cause she is smart that way.

She is scheduled for a double mastectomy next Thursday, if all the pre-op tests are OK. Today I took her for her Bone Scan and CT. Jan has deep veins and does not like needles so I was there to tell her stories while they poked around. The tech invited me to come back and distract all the other patients.

Between the CT and the bone scan we walked around the garden at Duke and played some Mah Jongg against each other on our devices. I got to go in the with her for the bone scan where she lay perfectly still on the table for forty minutes while the machine made it’s drawing of her skeleton. I did not talk to her through that since she had to be still and I could not be trusted not to make her laugh. For the record she has a very nice skeleton.

We went to lunch after to celebrate her birthday which was this week. I took her home and she declared I was now her official emotional support animal. A badge I will wear proudly.

It turned out there was one thing on one of her tests they wanted to explore more thoroughly so she had to go to Durham Regional for an other scan this evening, but her husband took her.

We are praying that additional thing is a whatthefuckanoma and is nothing consequential, but the word is still out on that.

I ask that you please pray for Jan. Not actually the way a minister who called her to pray with her did, and said, “Jesus, put your hands on Jan’s breasts.” We got a laugh out of that thinking that there wasn’t much Jesus could do about those breasts that are going.

Jan wants everyone to remember to get your mammograms regularly. This cancer is not related to her previous one 34 years ago. It’s just bad luck, as Jan says. But she has a plan and she is an expert at working a plan.

Lee Wolman is doing the meal train for Jan. She is thrilled when other people cook for her and Rex. As the official emotional Support Animal I will keep up to date on her needs and if you want to help I am certain I can find you a way. Prayers and chocolate, that’s what I think Jan wants most. No hands on her breasts unless you are a medical professional. Maybe Jesus can lay his hands on her doctors.