October 17, 2013 - Stories in the Air

I continue to be amazed at the many “Godwinks” along our “Pathway to Recovery”. Last Saturday, after we took off on the plane destined for the Cancer Treatment Center of America (CTCA) – Chicago, with Austin in tow :), Scott began talking to the flight attendant. We were seated in the last row of the plane near the engines so it made it a little difficult for me to understand their conversation. The short of the long of it was she was also a cancer survivor, but her husband, unlike mine, chose not to stay in her life upon receiving the news . . . I sat there  . . . . in tears . . . literally. But she obviously beat cancer, is doing very well health wise and has discovered a new-found happiness in her life. I have read and heard about these stories but never met anyone who has lived out such a heartbreaking story. Before we departed the plane, Scott shared my blog with her, and she and Austin had their picture made together :) By the way, Austin became a big fan of hers when she snuck him a small can of Pringles :) So, if you are reading this, please know how much you touched my heart and may God bless you with continued good health and a lifetime full of happiness . . .

The last time we flew home following my bilateral mastectomy and the beginning stage of my recovery surgery the flight attendant, who apparently saw my drains and all our pink, struck up a conversation with Scott while I was napping. If you haven’t figured it out yet, Scott always has the aisle seat, and I have the window seat :) I was so exhausted on this return flight I think I was asleep before we ever took off then slept until it was time to depart the plane. To that end, Scott did not have a chance to tell me about his conversation with this flight attendant. Since I was pretty sore and moving slowly, we purposefully waited in order to be the last ones off the plane. As I was getting up, very gingerly, the flight attendant told me she too had had breast cancer and to “hang in there . . . everything would be alright”. But with the tone in her voice, I knew she too was a fighter. Amazing . . . I would never guessed it and only wondered how young she was?

Then Tuesday night, after we were seated on the plane, the lady seated across the aisle from us thought she recognized us. Austin was seated in the window seat in front of us and assured us at the end of the flight he could now fly by himself :) She asked Scott if we had been at the CTCA and he replied yes. Plus, I had not removed my medical arm band yet. She asked if I was a patient at the CTCA, and Scott told her I was as she was too. She told us she lived in Knoxville then Scott reciprocated, telling her we were from Greeneville. Her eyes light up and said “you’re the ones with the pink pumpkins!” Scott laughed and said, “Yes we are”. And guess what? Her name is also Susan. She had been at the CTCA for a little more than five weeks receiving radiation treatments. Her mother had seen it on the news and sent the link to her so she could see it. Since we hadn’t taken off yet, I was able to participate in this conversation to a degree until our wings took flight. Then it wasn’t long my head found its way to Scott’s shoulder and my eyes managed to found their way closed. Upon loading the car in front of the terminal, a friend of hers had pulled in behind us so we too got to meet her. The smiles our pink pumpkins brought to both of them were very gratifying after my husband only wanted “to do a little something” to bring a smile to my face.

We all know it’s a small world and we never know who we'll meet and where. But always, keep in mind  . . .  we also never know the battles those people who cross are paths are fighting within themselves or have fought and overcome or are just waiting to share their story with others. I anxiously await to see who we meet on our next flight!