Times and Seasons

I got really scary news late last night.  I wrote an email to Nancy Murphy who is a good friend we knew in Vernal who also moved back to the Wasatch front.  Actually, Springville.  I wanted to see how she was doing.  She lost her husband, Bill, about 10 years ago to ongoing health problems.  After he passed away, she took care of her mother who recently passed away at the age of 100 (I believe).  I've been worried about her.  Last night I received a short reply back from her telling me she has had some serious health problems.  Last Saturday she was diagnosed with a brain tumor and had surgery to remove it this past Tuesday.  She said it affected her speech and would keep in touch as she was going to have radiation therapy and chemo after that.  There are four of us who lived in Vernal at the same time that keep in touch and get together when we can for lunch so I called Darolyne Childs to see if she knew anything about what was going on with Nancy.  She is in St. George for awhile and hadn't heard about Nancy but told me she would try calling one of Nancy's boys to find out more and let me know what she finds out.  I wrote back to Nancy not expecting her to respond but a few minutes later, I got a phone call from her oldest daughter, Wendy, explaining what the situation was and then I spoke with Nancy.  She sounded in good spirits but, naturally, was in shock.  I might be wrong, but I believe she said the tumor was a glioblastoma located just above her left ear which is the fasted growing kind of brain cancer you can get.  If they had taken any more of what they did, her walking as well as more of her speech would have been affected.  She stumbled only a little when I was talking to her.  I'm so grateful she called so I could talk to her.  I'm very concerned about her.  She is a very good friend and has been through so much over the years with her husband and then mother.  It doesn't seem fair, but life isn't fair.  I spoke with Darolyne again and while speaking with her, she told me her husband, John, has had heart problems again but they can't do anymore surgery on him so he will have to lose 40 pounds, exercise and eat healthier.  This news will keep them from going on their mission to St. George until he gets the weight off.  It made me realize, again, how short life is and how you just never know what is going to happen.