Dear Carol...

Today is the day you begin your battle with cancer. It’s the day you’ll remember for all the wrong reasons, and the one I tell you with utmost certainty that you can do this. You WILL beat this. On this day, more than any other, I wish you peace, grace, strength and an extra dose of resolute fight that you already possess.

I know we joke about being glass-half-empty-girls, but I also know the depths of our will to overcome. Your lymphoma, my MS – they’ve got nothin’ on our spirit. Yes, our future may be slightly different than that of our friends, but it is no less bright. Yes, the next few months will be challenging, but your story will be richer for it.

Shortly after I was diagnosed, I came across this quote that now hangs in my closet: “There is in every true woman's heart, a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity, but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity.” I look at it often, and on the days I feel defeated it reminds me that my determination will eclipse my disease. It has to. I’ve learned that it’s in the darkest moments where we unearth our true character, discover genuine passions and draw from inherent courage. In short, it’s the bitter than makes the bliss taste so sweet. So today, dear friend, please do not be afraid of the dark. You are brave, you are beautiful and your friends are holding you in the light.