Sunday, June 19, 2011

A Perfect Stranger

Do you recognize this lady? This is Marla Behrends. She was featured in an article in the Bloomington Pantagraph newspaper last week. So, why am I telling you all this? Well, the title says it all: she's a perfect stranger! 

When Mom was diagnosed with Leukemia back in March, our whole world came to a halt. We had so many questions and so little knowledge of what was going to happen. What was chemo? What happens to you? Do you feel the side effects immediately? And so on. 

One day that first week, a lady called Mom's hospital room and Aunt Judy answered the phone. She said "My name is Marla Behrens and I just went through leukemia. If Virginia wants to talk, just have her give me a call." She left her phone number and left it at that. I remember thinking "Who calls up a perfect stranger and offers to discuss their medical history?" I found that very strange, but soon I'd change my tune!

Day after day, the doctors and nurses came in to the hospital room with a list of medicines, treatments and procedures they were going to do. Every time we asked "How will she react?" They all answered "I can't say - everyone is different." That got pretty annoying pretty quick! So, one day Mom decided to pick up the phone to get some answers ...from a perfect stranger.

Verizon earned their pay that day! That phone call connected 2 soon-to-be cancer survivors and turned a scary, medical nightmare into a realistic, optimistic journey. Marla shared a lot of the things she had went through and some tips that got her through.

Mom and Marla talked several times over the weeks ahead, and Marla came to visit Mom in the hospital. Although their leukemia was a little different and their treatments were a little different, their journey was very similar. She was exactly the thing Mom needed... a stranger - and she was perfect!

Thank you Marla!

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