Chums

This afternoon I visited L an old chum of mine in a hospital near Edinburgh. She is my 'oldest' friend in that we met during our "A" level years at school in Ripon, Yorkshire, both our fathers being in the RAF, and we had moved around a lot in our earlier school years. By a stroke of good luck we both ended up in Scotland but then by a stroke of bad luck L had a bad car accident shortly after her fourth little girl was born. The rest of the family were not too badly hurt but she was lucky to survive, although it meant that she would be totally wheelchair bound as she had severed her spine. During the ensuing years she has shown tremendous guts, which is more than can be said for her husband who very quickly left her for a younger, able bodied model. Despite her disability L has embraced life and helped others enormously. In the past she and I have also had wonderful, unforgettable voyages on the tall ships which are specifically made to accommodate those with disabilities. I was her buddy! ..... Now she has skin cancer. She doesn't have any feeling in her legs so when the melanoma developed on the base of her foot she didn't notice it until it ulcerated in December. Now she has just had a malignant lymph node and surrounding tissue removed from her groin, but she is still looking cheerful and healthy. Whereas I feel helpless. She is my chum.