Me and my friends can move mountains, fighting cancer shouldn’t be too big of deal

I sat on my bed today, notebook in hand. I was writing a note to my friend Maggie who was diagnosed last week with breast cancer. I stared down at the page: Get better Maggie, okay? That is all I had, and I had doodled it all over the page. Tears streaming down my face, I felt sick, I laid back and furiously refreshed her website, waiting for the next post that said the doctors were wrong and it was just cat scratch fever after all. I couldn’t wait to get together with everyone and talk about how stupid the doctors were for freaking us out so bad with their misdiagnosis. I pictured our friends sitting around with Maggie celebrating, laughing, hugging and all recommitting to live life to the fullest together.

And with something about that picture of all of our friends together, I felt something click in my head. ‘Hey Heather – stop hoping for something else and get to work at the problem at hand. Maggie has just jumped into the ring for a big fight–she needs us.’ I sat back up, that’s right. I mean, we happen to have one hell of a group of friends that specializes in GIANT undertakings that require immense amount of energy, focus, commitment, love and dedication. I mean, some have criticized us for being clicky, traveling in packs, being loud and yes, even some have called us obnoxious. I won’t spend any time defending ourselves against these allegations but I will just say, ‘Fine, to all of the above AND we are an amazing team of dynamic, creative friends with enough love and energy to move mountains.’

Okay, so we haven’t moved any mountains yet, but we know we can. Picture what we have done with the Christmas party - six years, total splendor, hours, days of our blood, sweat and tears just for one night of Christmas joy! Or close your eyes and feel the million mega watts of energy coming off the dance floor in Lake Tahoe at Maggie and Man Ryan’s wedding. Or think of all the times you have come home from a party limping or bruised from dancing your heart out (especially after the old man party with all those canes and walkers on the dance floor). Or imagine the insanity of renting a house boat and dressing and acting like pirates for days on end like some of our friends did for Jake’s bachelor party. What about going to a 9 hour wedding and then staying up all night at the after party (on a Sunday?!). We know how to go above and beyond, show up for each other and make the most out of the opportunities we have.

So here we go guys, task at hand a little more somber in nature, but the most important thing in the world we can do together. Mags, we got this with you. In the coming months and for as long as it takes to get rid of the cancer we are sending our love and energy for life, you and each other out into the universe to be collected in a reservoir that will be right above you at all times so you can draw from it whenever you need it.

We will all get through this, it will take some time and it’s okay if we can’t always do it with a smile. I have been to a many Christmas party decoration nights, 1:30am, three days before “Christmas”, exhausted, up to my knees in cardboard cut outs of unpainted trees, discouraged and staring at an undecorated hallway and kitchen, and had to stop and look at Julian and Dexter in their eyes and ask, ‘Is this really gonna happen this year?” Not turning away from their staple guns they both always murmur, “Yes, Heather.” And as the universe will have it, those are the moments Jake and Lauren walk in with 40 perfect, amazing life size, handmade penguins, or Crescent rolls up with a ten foot photo montage of all the Christmas pasts. So we can be sad, even discouraged at times but none of us will ever give up. Because we don’t give up until we get exactly what we want.

And we can ask for help. Like Bunny (Carmen), who was coordinating Maggie and Man Ryan’s wedding, did this summer. Twenty minutes to wedding time and Bunny, looking all cute and businessy with her notebook, wrangled us all together and looking between each one of us and her task list she put us to work right then and there to get the place looking PERFECT before the guests arrived.

And we can do it however we know how. Take Gabe on the dance floor for example. We have all seen him try to express himself on the dance floor and it just escalates. It goes something like this. Dancing around a bit feeling the music, to a major toe pointing session which looks like it requires like 100% of his energy, then just when we think he might collapse on the dance floor of exhaustion – he launches himself, sliding across the dance floor on his stomach – committed to being all he is out there and getting all that energy out. His break outs usually result is some escalation of somebody else’s dancing. Whether it is Maggie’s “her” version of toe pointing or Man Ryan’s military rolls in his wedding clothes, someone is always there to take it up a notch from what Gabe laid out on the floor.

So I think with all of us fighting this cancer it doesn’t stand a chance in hell. The cancer just doesn’t even have a clue about how badly it just messed with the wrong group of friends. Mess with Maggie, mess with the whole family.

So Maggie, don’t worry if you get tired, just close your eyes and pull some energy out of the amazingly decorated reservoir of energy and love above you where at all times either Journey or Michael Jackson are blasting. Take as much as you need Mags because we’ve got an endless supply. And if you need something specific you just ask us. We will be by your side in a sec, go to the doctors with you, scream from a mountain top with you – whatever you need girl. WE LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND HAVE GOT YOUR BACK HECKA HARD!