Sandra Kelly - What lies within

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact

Four terrifying words… Too many

May 20, 2015 By Sandra 28 Comments

Germany --- Yellow Daffodils in Purple Heather --- Image by © Markus Botzek/Corbis

Germany — Yellow Daffodils in Purple Heather — Image by © Markus Botzek/Corbis

Yesterday morning I received a phone call…

A phone call from my friend’s husband…

My friend’s husband said…

“We just got the results… she has breast cancer”…

I felt sick…

I said what I hoped were all the right words, from somewhere deep in my broken heart…

“We are here for you, don’t think we have enough on our own plate that we don’t have any room left for our mates… we are here for you”…

I said goodbye to my friend’s husband…

I recounted the conversation for my husband…

We stared at each other and said “Fug it” both at the same time…

Then there was nothing…

We just stared at each other…

We knew where they were at…

We knew what that place felt like…

Tasted like…

Smelled like…

We knew the sound of the internal screaming that no neighbour would ever likely hear…

Late yesterday afternoon I received a fund raising email from the Breast Cancer Network of Australia…

I stared at these words…

“In the next 24 hours, 42 people will hear four terrifying words – ‘You have breast cancer’.”

Forty two people who are forty two friends to one person like me have heard those four terrifying words in a twenty four hour period…

Too many numbers in too many hours changing too many lives…

And these are just the statistics for breast cancer diagnosis…

Too many cancers…

Too many statistics…

Too many phone calls that need to be made…

When will it end…

When will it end…

When will it end…

Related Posts

Comments

  1. Majella Laws says

    May 20, 2015 at 7:00 am

    Damn! (Hugs)

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 22, 2015 at 11:50 pm

      Yep, damn is one of the four letter words I used. Thanks for the hugs. Xx

      Reply
  2. Emily @ Have A Laugh On Me says

    May 20, 2015 at 9:32 am

    I was just told this by a friend today. Life is so cruel… x

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 22, 2015 at 11:53 pm

      Life can be very cruel and thank god there are so many caring souls like you to help balance out the weight of the blows. Much love. Xx

      Reply
  3. Lisa Conn says

    May 20, 2015 at 9:56 am

    ❤️❤️❤️❤️

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 22, 2015 at 11:53 pm

      Much love my dear friend. Xx

      Reply
  4. sarah@tomfo says

    May 22, 2015 at 9:43 pm

    I have no words, just hugs. xx

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 22, 2015 at 11:54 pm

      Hugs are GREAT! 🙂 Xx

      Reply
  5. Kirsty @ My Home Truths says

    May 22, 2015 at 10:57 pm

    Cancer sucks. I found out today that my Dad’s cancer prognosis is not good at all. With little detail to go on as yet we just need to hold onto hope that something can still be done. The battle so far has been cruel and brutal for him, a story echoed by so many of those other thousands of Australians battling some kind of cancer right now. Cancer, in any form, truly sucks. I’m so sorry for your friend and her family x

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 23, 2015 at 12:03 am

      My heart aches for you, your Dad and your family Kirsty. I shared my post on FB with this status/heading – “HEY CANCER! Yes you ya mongrel! Why don’t you go eat a big fat toxic turd and cark it!!!” Bout sums up how I loathe the beast. 😉 Love and hugs for you Kirsty xo

      Reply
  6. Shannon@ my2morrows says

    May 23, 2015 at 9:27 pm

    Not good to hear that. I can’t imagine how gut wrenching that news would be. But thank you for sharing, you’ve reminded me of the importance of self examination! Xx

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 28, 2015 at 10:28 pm

      Self examination and regular mammograms are really important for early detection Shannon. Thanks for stopping by 🙂

      Reply
  7. Jo @ You had us at hello says

    May 24, 2015 at 12:20 am

    Cancer is so mean! I’m so sorry to hear. I often wonder why awful criminals don’t get it instead of all the good people it does. Wishing a successful fight xx

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 28, 2015 at 10:33 pm

      Cancer surely is mean. Too many beautiful people are hearing those four terrifying words. Thanks so much for stopping by Jo. 🙂 Xx

      Reply
  8. Kelly Exeter says

    May 24, 2015 at 7:56 am

    I have no doubt you must feel it like a kick in the guts every time you hear someone else has heard those words 🙁 I know I feel the same every time I hear someone’s had a miscarriage – you know exactly the flood of emotions and rollercoaster they’re about to go on

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 28, 2015 at 10:37 pm

      … and the thought of them having to experiencing one ounce of it is just so cruel. Wish I had a magic wand to share. Thanks for stopping by lovely Kelly 🙂 Xx

      Reply
  9. Sammie @ The Annoyed Thyroid says

    May 24, 2015 at 8:24 am

    I feel sick when I hear those words because I can still remember how it felt when I heard them. I’m so sad to hear your news. I wish there was something I could say or do to make it better but I can’t. So I’m sending you hugs and good vibes instead.

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 28, 2015 at 10:40 pm

      Thanks Sammie. I just feel for them so much. We made it through so they will too. Keeping everything crossed and hope in my heart. Thanks for stopping by 🙂 Xx

      Reply
  10. Gael - The Vinyl Edition says

    May 24, 2015 at 4:27 pm

    Hi Sandra.

    First time visitor here.

    It annoys me no end that in this day and age when so much money is poured into new gadgets and technology that we cannot find a cure for this horrible disease. Instead, money is taken away from medical research and health facilities.

    I really hope your friend is able to beat this. x

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 28, 2015 at 10:43 pm

      Oh if only 90% of what is spent on New Years Eve fire works in this country was channeled into research and our health system annaually what a difference this alone could make to so many.

      Thanks for stopping by Gael. 🙂 Xx

      Reply
  11. Sonia Life Love Hiccups says

    May 25, 2015 at 8:20 pm

    OMG hun – I am so so sorry for your friend and for you to be living through this again through her. Sending so much love and prayers to you both my friend.. so much love xx

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 28, 2015 at 10:48 pm

      Sonia, I wish they never had to hear those words ever let alone experience any of the ride. Thanks so much for stopping by gorgeous one. 🙂 Xx

      Reply
  12. Shauna Round the Corner says

    May 27, 2015 at 5:09 pm

    Thinking of you Sandra and your friend. Such a difficult time. Those statistics are alarming!

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      May 28, 2015 at 10:59 pm

      Hi there Shauna!

      By 2020 it is estimated that 47 women a day will be diagnosed with breast cancer. I wish and hope the day is soon a cure is found for all cancers. Thanks for stopping by Shauna 🙂 Xx

      Reply
  13. Sonia from Sonia Styling says

    June 3, 2015 at 10:53 am

    Oh Sandra, my heart breaks for your friend… and for all the people that will hear these words in the future. I’m with you: WHEN will it end? WHY can’t we be closer to a cure than we currently are? Some things in life are just not fair, no matter which way you look at them. And cancer is most definitely one of them. Love and light to you and your friend. x

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 3, 2015 at 9:15 pm

      You are such a sweetie Sonia. Thanks so much for stopping by. Xx 🙂

      Reply
  14. Jess - A Little Part of the World says

    June 5, 2015 at 2:22 pm

    God life is cruel. I’m so sorry for you all and I hope your friends beats it. I never know the right thing to say. The stats are way too high for all cancers. Jx

    Reply
    • Sandra says

      June 5, 2015 at 10:14 pm

      Sometimes words just seem so inadequate don’t they. I just went with “Well that freakin sucks, I don’t know what to say but please know that I am here for you.” Thanks for stopping by Jess. 🙂 Xx

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Sandra



Hi there, I'm Sandra.
I'm really short... but really big on caring and sharing!
Learn more about me and this space here.

Never Miss A New Post

Enter your email address below and I'll magically appear in your inbox when I've written something new.

Recent posts

  • Everywhere and Nowhere. The Ultimate Conundrum.
  • Goodbye My Love!
  • Unfamiliar Becomes Familiar.
  • Sparrow Farts and Mosquito Bites!
  • How Would Doing One Thing Different A Day Change Your Life?

Posts by month

Lovely Sponsors

CATEGORIES

  • EVERYTHING ELSE
  • I BLOODY HATE COOKING
  • LETTERS TO DOUG
  • SOFT PLACES AND HONEST SPACES
  • SUNDAY SUCKABLES AND SILVER LININGS

Copyright Sandra Kelly 2014 • Website by Kelly Exeter @ Swish Design {Using the Beautiful Theme for Genesis}