One evening, as Matilda and I were strolling in our urban neighborhood, our young, recent High School grad neighbor Patti and her very quiet boyfriend came bounding up to us to hug Matilda and greet us. As I told her about Matilda’s Lymphoma diagnosis and the possibility of chemo, the boyfriend burst out with these words:  ” She’ll be all right! She can beat it! I did! I was born with cancer!” At this point, Patti said “He did! Look at his scar,” and she pulled his sweater up to show me a scar that ran the length of his torso. “We love Matilda,” they bleated.

Support and strength often come from unexpected places.