The friend I mentioned to you in my previous post has decided that she would like to go on living. I was feeling selfish for wanting her to battle through more chemo and radiation. Who would want to go through that? Why would anyone who loves her want to prolong her suffering? But she’s had such an outpouring of love from her friends, she wants to give it another try. And I think she can do it. If anyone can.

Last week a group of us (musicians and vocalists) visited her hospital room to sing her a Sufjan Stevens song, Chicago. And it was most amazing to see her uplifted by it, when she was barely conscious my 2 visits prior. If only for a moment. The radiation to her brain has extinguished her short-term memory, and she has no recollection of that moment now, a few days later. She only has moments in the present, or further into the past.

But if enough of us can continuously help shape the present for her, we can get her through this. and hopefully it will not be purely selfish on our part.