My heart hurts for them.

Cancer.  One word and people think, "Oh, no."

My absolute best friend since we were 9 is going through the final days of her mother's life.   Her mother was diagnosed with lung cancer in May.  Though she has surpassed the time the doctors approximated, she has not skipped the eventual end syndromes.  My friend's father died June 2009.  Now almost 16 months later, here she goes again.  This time she won't have a parent to uplift through the grief. 

My heart aches for her.

Our gallery director came late to work from an appointment yesterday that she attended with her granddaughter, Marcy.  Marcy has been on my prayer list for some time.  She went through a bone marrow transplant back in the spring that was supposed to take care of her Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

It didn't.

It is aggressive and it is back.

Marcy is in her 20's.  Treatment has done the typical things to her.  She lost her hair.  She fell ill.  It has thrown her into early menopause, though.  It has changed her quality of life in ways.

Now she sits knowing that she did as was asked of her and now she's back to the drawing board-- again.

These ladies weigh so heavily on my heart right now.  I've been best friends with A- for 28 years.  We've both seen each other through joys and sorrow.  Still, to watch the end of another parents life is something that my heart can't even grasp.  Then there is Marcy.  I've never met her.  I check in from time to time with Maggie, but my heart just stops while thinking of all the medical treatments that Marcy has endured so far and now she is looking into clinical trials and alternate treatments. 

Would you please consider praying for these women and their families?

Please consider keeping Sara and Eli in your prayers.  Sara stopped into work and I've been able to touch base with her only briefly.  I told her that I had her newest bit on my sidebar.  If you have the time, consider watching it.  It is three minutes and answers a lot of questions that people probably have.  I'm sure that she's had more people than she can count ask her why she allowed Eli to go with his father.  She clarifies all that in her 3 minute clip.  As for an update, Eli is still in Turkey and Sara is still fighting to get him back. 

I can't imagine.