It takes a village

Now, far be it from me to be sappy about anything, ever, but I have to say that it was this week that truly brought the point home, about finding out who your true friends are, as I felt we truly banded together in waging war against this insidious disease, being strong and winning one for the Gipper.

It started earlier this week when "Fred" called me from Indy to inform me that he was at a Williams-Sonoma, and not only did they have pink lounging chairs for sale, but also these beautiful $300 pink cashmere shawls – all in the name of Breast Cancer Month. Of course I pointed out to him how cold those sterile hospital hallways get as I sit there shivering while waiting to go into my painful, torturous radiation treatment (*ahem*), and how cashmere would be just the thing against my painfully radiated skin. I think I heard hearty laughter in return, but I’m sure he was just doing that to throw me off. So, cashmere shawl, check.

Then I found out that Maggs and Missy are doing the Race for the Cure next weekend – kind of. Maggs is doing her part by sleeping in on race day, on her pillow ensconced in a lovely new pink beribboned pillowcase, and Missy is in fact running but in a verrrry slow-ass sort of way. Since I enjoy sleep as much as the next person, and since I’m such a slow runner that usually towards the end of a race I’m able to hitch a ride with the people cleaning up the course – I was truly touched by these sentiments. Sniffle.

THEN, as if that all weren’t enough, people have been scouting out pink-ribboned foods for me left and right. QRGirl spotted Hamburger Helper and Folgers Coffee, so now I have on my “can eat” list the following:

• Wheat thins
• M&Ms
• Hot dogs (at the United Center during hockey games)
• Hamburger Helper
• Folgers Coffee
• Mai tais

Now we’re getting somewhere, as long as I find some donuts or other fried doughy goodness that's pink. Speaking of food, that’s another area where I’m getting critical assistance, as far as my Superfry Me plan is concerned. I had been wondering if Paula Deen actually made breakfast foods, if she was able to bastardize those with enough butter to make it Paula-worthy, and imagine my surprise when today at PT, there she was making brunch! I almost missed the show as some Athletico person who apparently doesn’t appreciate her greatness was trying to find something else to watch, but a screech of horror from me stopped that right quick. So we got to watch Paula make cheese-butter grits and sausage balls – which were made of not only sausage but cheese and biscuit mix as well. Yum. Oh, she made some kind of apple cake/bread too, but since that had apples in it and therefore qualified as health food, I didn’t pay too much attention to that.

Then my friend Laura sent me a PD recipe for, of all things, deep-fried macaroni and cheese. Mac and cheese made with not just milk and butter, but also SOUR CREAM. The woman is brilliant. Though Laura did make some comment about Paula’s “fast-track to diabetes program”, not sure what that’s all about. Shrug.

Anyway – back to our little village. Not only do I have friends looking out for me in terms of my battle with breast cancer, but they’re also concerned with my mental and overall physical health as well. You see, I’ve been giving Deanna fair warning that I fully expect to kick her ass from one end of the course to the other at any and all triathlons we do next summer. I know, I know, stating the obvious, but sometimes that’s what it takes with the little people, just beating them over the head with things until they get it. And Deanna, sweetheart that she is, accepts this with aplomb, and nothing but concern for my welfare:

Deanna: If you keep thinking you’re going to kill me next year at IM, I may have to go with you to see Dr. Grimm as he is obviously missing some huge neurological problem.
Jillian: But wouldn’t she need to see a psychiatrist as well? Since she’s delusional?
Deanna: That too.

I am so touched, I have no words.