Last week as I was reading The Fresno Bee, I opened to the obits and was shocked. My heart dropped. There in front of me, was an obit for a young woman I partnered with on a painting for the Art of Life project (I wrote about it back in 2010 on this very blog), sponsored by my oncologist, Dr. Chris Perkins. It was about a year and a half ago, January 2010.
I remember meeting her and hearing her cancer story. She'd been going to Dr. Perkins for about 10 years. Younger than me and oh so vibrant. Lori Budd. After hearing her tale, told not with sadness, but with a liveliness that I took away with me. I recall vividly how vivacious she was, despite what she'd been through. And I remember her saying, "I told Dr. Perkins that if I'm dying I want to know, and so far, he hasn't told me that, so I'm just living the best I can."
She left an impression on me. You wouldn't have known at the time that there was anything wrong with her at all. She was working, caring for her family and running a mile a minute through life. It seemed like nothing could stop her. I was impressed with her attitude and grateful to have been paired up with her.
I remember telling my husband about her and what a great attitude she'd had, facing cancer with no fear, facing recurrences as if it was nothing. Her spirit and vitality couldn't be stopped.
About 8 years younger than me. A strong professional woman like me. A woman caring for a family, like me. A woman keeping her life together through it all, like me.
Our painting, titled "We Never Walk Alone," was a hit. It hangs in the hallway at Perkins' office.
I pray Lori held that thought through it all.
Damn, that obit hit me hard.
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