marrow.org

One day you squeeze your friend's hand, attempting to transmit a little more energy for her to make it through another weekend of performances. The next day you receive the news that she won't be at the performances, but she'll need that energy-squeeze anyway. She's in the hospital. She has leukemia.

It was a phone call that took my breath away. I don't know that I've ever felt that before- literally breathless at the uttering of a sentence- and it left me reeling for days, stuttering in grief and shock.

Life went on, of course. The next day I danced at a wedding reception and the day after that I chased my nephew as he drove his hot wheels car. Work emails still arrived and I listened to voice mails. I filled up my gas tank and put off getting an oil change. But, in the midst of all the day to day, my stomach yo-yo-ed between the base of my throat and the pit of my belly. I laughed with this dear friend in her hospital room, and then found myself crying on the drive home. There is a measure of absurdity in life only tapped in the midst of tragedy. This whole thing is just absurd.

She's going to kick this though. She is a force of joy and thoughtful dreams and big, belly laughs and she's going to kick leukemia's bone-y butt. A bone marrow donor will be found and she will get through the rounds of chemo and the eventual transplant, and when all is said and done she will write another play as honest and captivating as her work always is. This time it just might be a play about cancer; the bravest, most joyful approach to cancer the world has ever seen.

PS: If you're not a registered bone marrow donor, please consider adding yourself to the registry. For the majority of bone marrow donations, the process is similar to giving blood. To become a donor all you have to do is fill out a survey and take a swab of your cheek. Simple as that. Please, please go to  http://marrow.org/