Brain cancer is...

...a roll call for angels on earth.

This picture of my sister, Meridyth, and me was taken on a family vacation to British Columbia in 2006.  (Twin dressing is COOL!)

Eight years before this pic (1998), Meridyth was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and was given a 40% chance of surviving five years.  Her kids were about two and four at the time, and I remember one of her biggest concerns was that she would not live long enough for her kids to remember her. 

Look again at the photo and you'll see that Meridyth is wearing a long chain with a medallion.  Right after her diagnosis, her friend Nancy gave Meridyth that medallion.  It was a guardian angel to watch over and protect Meridyth throughout out her treatment.  Meridyth is nearly 20 years beyond her diagnosis now, and she continues to wear that medallion--and two more angels who joined the first--daily.

I should say she wore them daily (past tense), because last week Meridyth and Matt sent us a care package.  Inside that package were Meridyth's angels. She said good bye to them and sent them forward to now protect Darrell in his cancer journey.

I'm sharing this story because it includes such an act of selfless kindness and care.  But I'm not sharing it because it stands alone in its beauty and power.  Darrell and I also wanted to share it because these three angels (and the people who sent them) represent the dozens and dozens of angels offering selfless, loving acts of kindness to Darrell and to us, his family.

Truly we have experienced great love fully in the past month.  Each of you has a different style, but every one of you has convinced us of the existence of angels on earth.  Your texts, cat pictures, meals, tokens, calls, hugs, prayers, errands, e-mails...all of them...touch our hearts and make us feel lifted up by the best that humanity has to offer.  When the angel roll call begins each morning, please perk up your ears, and when your name is called, raise your hand, and say, "Here!"