Connie Can Even Make Chemo Funny.




Connie blowing out her candles last year (June 12th 2010)

Eight years ago Connie was diagnosed with breast cancer. She found a lump and was scared to death, but I kept telling her, "it's nothing." She always thinks she has cancer. I got used to statements like, "I have a headache, I know it's a brain tumor." "My elbow aches, it's bone cancer!" "I have black spots in front of my eyes! I have eye cancer!" After years of hearing this, I found it hard to take it seriously, after all she had had

breast cancer at least 106 times.

 But this time it was for real.

It's a terrifing feeling when someone you are close to gets a life threatening illness. I did a lot of praying, begging really.

You wouldn't think you'd find anything funny about cancer, but with Connie the possibility of a good story is never far away.

Of course, after surgery, chemotherapy was ordered and when she started to lose her hair, it fell out in clumps. Our good friend, Linda McMillian, thought it best to shave her head. It's rather tramatic to lose your hair, but even then we could find humor. Linda bought a bunch of skull caps and all of finance, and other friends at the office, put them on and met her at the entrance the day after her hair was gone. Two of the men even shaved their heads so she wouldn't feel alone. (She is well love at the office. The day of her surgery, depts. all over our office stopped work at the time of the surgery and gathered in groups to pray.)

As you go through chemotherapy, it changes. They use different drugs at different times. One day the nurse told her one of the new drugs would turn her 'urine orange'. Connie thought she said it would turn her 'earrings orange', so she says, "It will turn my earrings orange! Should I take them off? And what about my watch, should I take that off too?" Our good friend Jane was with her and laughed her head off. She told us about it later, so for her birthday, which was just days away, everyone gave her a pair of orange earrings.



Connie and our friend Larry modeling chemo caps

Connie wore hats when she first lost her hair, a co-worker made her chemo caps. Fun, fuzzy, colorful hats. Connie loved them and wore them in the evenings because her head was always cold. But for work she decided to get a wig. We went to a wig shop and the sales lady was very helpful. She fited her with a very nice, natural looking wig.  It looked good on her and she loved it - it made it so fast to get ready in the morning. No  more fussing with her hair, just pull your wig on and you're ready. Even after her hair grew back, she thought about sticking with the wig.

Connie in her new wig

Larry in Connie's wig   =}

Connie always kept her head covered up. I'm not sure I ever saw her  little bald head until... the accident.

One day on our way home from church, we were sitting at a red light when WHAM!!! we are hit very hard from behind. It was such a shock. I couldn't figure out what had happened. We flew forward, legs flying up hitting the dash, then back. My seat flew back as far as it would go, then sprung. It felt like I was sitting on the floor. A sports car had rear-ended us.

Thank the Lord it was a small car, or we would have been in the hospital or worse. (We only got a bit sore and huge bruises were our legs hit the dash, and from the seatbelt)  There were 3 SUV's in front of me. Being squished between 4 cars caused my car to bend, a huge crease appeared right down the middle of the roof. It was totalled. (but amazingly, still driveable)

After we made sure we were Ok and in one piece, I soon realized my vision wasn't right. My glasses had flown off from the impact. As I searched for them, I finally really looked at Connie and with my fuzzy vision I could see her little bald head. Her wig had flown off just like my glasses. She starts to get out of the car and I said, "Your wig came off!" She said something to me, I never knew what, as I was so shocked she was getting out of the car like that. She just shut the car door and went to talk to the guy who hit us. I'm thinking, I cannot believe she is going out there without her wig. She must  be really mad!  She wouldn't even let me see her without it.

There she was (so brave), talking to everyone, the guy who hit us, the guys we hit, and the policeman who came. Even people driving by. A big church was getting out right where we were  hit and a ton of cars were going by. We knew some of the people and Connie is waving. I'm thinking, "I cannot believe she is doing this without her wig!" She just had these little wispy hairs sticking up, blowing in the wind. It was so sad.

After all the talking was done, we stood in the medium waiting for the policeman to give us his report, and I say to her, again, "You do know that you don't have your wig on, right?" Apparently not from the look on her face. She put both hands on her head, her eyes bugged out, her mouth flew open, "Oh no!" She runs to the car and franticly looks for the wig. (I guess when I told her the first time she was in shock so didn't even hear me.) We found her wig  in the back seat along with my glasses. (I said if anyone had been sitting there, they'd be wearing my glasses and her wig.=) She grabs up the wig and jams it down on her head, she can't believe she has gone wigless in front of all those people. I can't believe she didn't know. Couldn't she feel the wind blowing those wispy little hairs around?

Since my car was driveable, I drove it home and we are laughed our heads off over the wig or lack of it. Connie is like my mom. She always laughs at her own crazy antics. I thought about it for months. I would just suddenly start to laugh and Connie would say, "You're thinking about the wig again aren't you?"

Connie has been cancer free for 5 years. When asked if she'd ever what to go through it again, she always say no, (of course) but she was glad she had cancer. It showed her how much God really loved her. He did something speical for her everyday to show her how much He cared and she grew so much during that time. And she has since done a few things she had been afraid to do before, like travel out of the country. Once you've faced the possiblily of death, nothing else seems that scary.

Her hair grew back a long time ago, it's darker now, all the gray is gone. That is often a side benefit of chemo, (besides it killing the cancer and all ) I don't think its fair. She is 10yrs older then me and I am totally gray. At 64, she should have tons of gray. But since she's had cancer, I'll let it pass.

I'm so thankful my sister is still here and will be 64. That's sound old, but it's really not. Haven't you heard, 60 is the new 50. She still looks great and  is still pretty spry, (when upright). No one would ever guess her age, (so act surprised if she tells you).

In my Super Pig books she is Connie Collie, it's a good choice. She's a faithful and loyal friend, a great big sister and she fetches really well.  Just kidding. I am thinking of keeping her on a leash though, she fell again this week. She was out walking in our neighborhood. (Thank goodness none of our neightbors saw her, I'd have to wear a bag over my head when with her), but a man driving by stopped to see if she was OK. She said she was used to falling and was fine. She has a swollen, badly bruised knee, is very sore, but no teeth were knocked out.

I do hope she lives to see 65. 

This is Connie and I with our nephew Jimmy. You can see how dark her hair is compared to mine.

Is this fair?  (She is even smirking about it).