Friday, October 5, 2012

I Met An Angel In "Ladies Lingerie"

     If you are just stopping in, this is the fifth post in my 31 Day Series:  I Wear Pink.  Join me as I share my breast cancer journey.  You can find the previous posts here.     

Day 5:
     I hid behind a rack of support bras and waited until there was no one at the customer service desk in ladies lingerie.  I needed help to find a bra that would be comfortable enough to wear day and night for about three days.  I had been told that after the biopsy I would need to remain in a bra so that nothing  moved or bounced until things were healing.  Unfortunately, I had developed a recent allergy to latex.  I needed a cotton sports bra that didn't have spandex in it.  I checked rack after rack without finding one.  Clearly I needed a bra expert.
     When the counter was empty, I approached the lady in charge.  "Excuse me.  I need a sports bra that does not have spandex in it.  I am having a biopsy on Wednesday and will need to wear the bra for a few days."
    Her eyes fell to my chest.  "A biopsy?  My mother's friend died of breast cancer.  Do you have cancer?"
     My mouth fell open and I stammered out, "I'm allergic to latex.  I need a sports bra."  
     I felt a gentle touch on my shoulder.  "Hon.  You want to go to the sporting goods store.  They have plenty of cotton sports bras.  They'll get you through after the biopsy."
     "Do you have cancer, too!" blurted the saleslady to the woman standing behind me..
      It turned out that my new friend did not have cancer.  She was cancer-free having survived breast cancer, twice.  She shared that she had cancer in her left breast for which she was treated with a lumpectomy, chemo,  radiation, and hormone therapy.  Seven years later she developed breast cancer in her right breast.  She decided to remove both breasts.  She went through chemo again.  She also had reconstructive surgery.
     "My new boobs are great.  They don't go away when I lay down and when I'm ninety, they'll still be perky.  These babies won't sag."   I had to admit the lady standing in front of me proclaiming the merits of her new breasts looked wonderful.  She was a petite brunette with flashing blue eyes and a great smile.  Her clothes skimmed her body attractively.  She looked healthy.  
     I, on the other hand, must have looked wobbly.  I wasn't even sure where she had come from.  I thought I was alone at the counter until she spoke.  The saleslady rejoined the conversation to tell us that her mother's friend that died had cancer twice, too.
     "Listen.  You may not have cancer, but even if you do, it's going to be okay.  If I survived it, you can too."  Then she took a piece of paper out of her purse, wrote her name and phone number on it and told me to call her if I had any questions, any time.  The best part was, she meant it.
     My angel took me by the shoulders and turned me in the direction of the exit.  Down the mall I went to the sporting goods store.  She was right.  There were cotton sports bras without spandex.  I picked out a lovely pink one.
Let brotherly love continue.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.          ~Hebrews 13:1-2

       God provided me with just the right person at exactly the right time to bring me help and comfort.  Have you ever met an angel?   

3 comments:

Marie at the Lazy W said...

WOW what a contrast. I love that she took you by the shoulders and guided you out of there. I hope to read later that you stayed in touch if you needed to. Thanks very much for the bold reminder of how NOT to thoughtlessly talk to people. xoxo

momstheword said...

What a blessing she was to you! God certainly did place her there. That saleslady....oh my. How thoughtless. I have asthma and take meds for it. We were at church one time and a bunch of us were standing around talking. I had a cold and mentioned that I was recently diagnosed with asthma.

One of the women looked at me and said "You have asthma? I can tell you exactly how you're going to die." She launched into this story about her mom's asthma and how, sadly, she died of an asthma attack. I just stared at her dumbfounded.

After that I gathered my wits and said that I was sorry about her mom's death years ago, but explained that my doctor was actually *treating* my asthma and that I wasn't really going to be worrying about dying of it.

I imagine we have all said thoughtless things in the past, but I am praying that God puts His hand over my mouth before I say any more!

mail4rosey said...

How wonderful that she had the information you needed and a sincere helping hand. I love your story. :)

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