I just spoke with Gail, one of the members of my “community” of CS, a woman whose story and spirit really touched me. Gail is a breast cancer survivor who is featured in the chapter on health. She lives in Vancouver, BC, where she and a group of other survivors –women literally in the same boat — take part in “dragon boating,” a sport borrowed from the Chinese. When I first interviewed Gail, her cancer had returned, and she talked about how much easier it was for her to share the news with her team, than her family. After I finished the manuscript, I contacted Gail again, who shared with me that the doctors had ordered a new round of chemo. Again, she mentioned that it was easier to talk to me about what was going on than the people closest to her. I was struck by her courage and honesty and made a point of staying in touch. I worried when she didn’t return my emails or calls. Finally, a few weeks ago, she sent me an email saying that the doctors could do no more for her. They gave her two weeks to live. That was two months ago. When I last spoke with her, she was on her way out to walk her dog. She’s back on the water with her team, too. I told her that she’s “pulling an Art Buchwald”! The book will be out in August, and I imagine that she’s just spunky enough to still be here. I plan to send her a copy.
May 6th, 2009
