The week that I learned of my diagnosis was the hardest week of my life. The news shot through me like a cannonball and left me gasping for air. There were infinite dark corners where my mind would dwell, and it was hard to think about anything else.And then there was Hazel.
Our friends Marijke and Danae were on a medical mission in Haiti this summer and they fell hopelessly in love with a baby girl who was so malnourished that, despite being 10 months old, she was the size of a newborn. Marijke spent the week holding the baby, and soon thereafter there were adoption papers in the works.
Fast forward to last Thursday -- the day I had my first two "cancer appointments" scheduled in Green Bay. There was a big gap between appointments and we decided to see if Marijke and/or Danae would be around. I checked Marjike's Facebook status. It read:
made it to santo domingo, hitched a ride through the night to the dominican and haitian border, and made it to the orphanage safely with yet another ride today. Good to be here, we will try to get the children out on monday.
Prior to this, the last news I had heard from Marijke was that the baby was okay and the orphanage had remained relatively unscathed. I was completely surprised to learn that she had already returned to Haiti. I imagine it as a "fierce-mama pride" that compelled Marijke to get on a plane and find the baby.And find the baby she did.
We ended up spending an hour or so with Danae after my oncology appointment. We needed a place to decompress and gather ourselves before driving back to Marinette. Danae graciously fed us and lent a doctorly ear despite the fact that it was also one of the hardest weeks of her life as well. Marijke and Hazel updates were interwoven with the cancer conversation; Danae intermittently took phone calls from our senator's office. The report was that Marijke and Hazel were sleeping in the US Embassy. The baby was sick, but doing okay. It occurs to me now that we were all in a holding pattern, waiting for something to happen.
Just over a week ago Danae flew to Miami to meet Marijke and Hazel as they arrived from Haiti. They spend a day in processing, and then flew back to Green Bay.
I have been telling friends and family this story all week long. I joke that it is my cancer counter-narrative, and this is not so much a joke as an assertion. The story of love and hope has alternately made me giddy, teary, and filled with joy. It has been a welcome reminder that life is happening (and at what a pace!) all around me.
On Sunday we had the chance to meet Hazel. She is a calm and beautiful child; she melted my heart.
