A Reminder That Was Needed

Dear Fred:   As you know, I have been experiencing a down turn on the roller coaster of grief.  Last Saturday I was given a much needed reminder that courage & attitude and enjoying what is still good in my life makes all the difference.  At times it is hard to do this but the reminder came at a time when I was open to receive it.
Saturday I went to a Big Brother's/Big Sisters Benefit with some friends.  While there I ran onto a young woman who Nick & I had become good friends with prior to his death.  I was happy & surprised to see her as the last I heard she had been terribly sick.  Here is her story:
Last autumn she came down with a sever bronchial illness.  Instead of it going away it turned into a very nasty auto-immune situation that attacked her spinal cord.  It destroyed the sheath around all of her nerve endings in her spine.  She noticed the numbness in her feet & within 5 days was paralyzed from the waste down.  She was sent to a specialist who knew how to treat this rare situation.  Fortunately he was able to stop the progress of it as her lungs were in danger of becoming paralyzed next.  They were afraid she would never walk again.
This young woman never lost her courage or her "can do" attitude.  After weeks in the hospital & 5 more weeks in a "rehab" facility followed by lots of work at home she is now walking, riding her bicycle & driving a car again.  In sharing her story & her great spirit she helped me more than she could know.  It helped me realize that the physical problems I am facing CAN be faced & handled.  It made me realize that what problems I have are really pretty small.  She gave me new courage & a fresh attitude towards life.  Next time I see her, I am going to thank her for her bravery, her great attitude and for sharing it with me.
I just wanted to record this experience in case I start to forget the lesson & reminder that this good friend gave me.
Bye for now, Fred.
9/25/13                                        Darlene