My Brave friend Thea



Deb and Thea Christmas 2010

She's as brave as any of the characters we've read about in all the many books we've read in the past ten years since I've known her. Thea was the first person to contact me ten years ago when I put up that poster at Creston Public Library (aka Matilda Gibson) proclaiming that I was starting a book discussion group. She was interested...and better yet, she volunteered to host it! Her hosting gig ended up being permanent - just like our friendship!

My longtime (I'm not saying old) buddy Deb and I had pined for such a group In town. One where we could meet to discuss books with fellow book lovers. When no such group appeared...besides the stuffy sounding group that posted minutes in the local paper, we decided to start our own. We nearly always pick out and order books from an online list of multiple books the state library hosts. Everybody in our group can suggest titles and we usually have a core group of 6 or 8 people participating. Let's not forget Thea's three dogs - Peaches, Lucy and Mitzi. (Oreo, whom I used to call Hydrox, RIP).

Thea moved to Creston to work at the Area Education Agency as a social worker in area schools, a career she retired from in 2010. Last spring she had a bum knee replaced and was rehabbing at a local physical therapy center. She began to notice pain in other areas of her body and the therapist recognized the pain was not a normal part of recovery from this type of surgery. Several doctor's appointments and medical tests later, she was diagnosed with myeloma - cancer of the plasma cells.

Crap! That isn't the way it should go...somebody retires and then gets sick. Thea decided to go to Mayo Clinic in Rochester for a second opinion. Their diagnosis - multiple myeloma and they discovered a cancerous tumor on one of her kidneys that needed to come out. She had surgery to remove it - the kidney. In the meantime, the myeloma has taken a toll on her bones - causing a great deal of pain. She needed to start treatment to knock the cancer back. Thea started chemo treatments as soon as she could, followed by radiation - which really zapped her!

The cancer has taken its toll on Thea's lifestyle. It has made it hard for her to get around. She lives in a big rambling brick 2 story home, and she's taken some steps to make her home more livable for her and the dogs. A doggy door has been installed for the "girls" so they can access the fenced in back yard all on their own. Her house has been arranged so that she can get around with her walker.

It can't be easy, facing that f'ing disease. And Thea does not have relatives in town - though her brother lives in Harlan. She's fortunate that since she's such a swell lady, she's developed a great network friends here in town. Still...it has to be hard. She has to have some hard times. Down times.

I've been to see her a few times - to take food and to help around the house a bit. During those times, Thea has been a champ - what an attitude!
As brave as
1,000 White Women
who have lived in
The Red Tent
and Angry Housewives Eating BonBons
(all books we have read and loved)
So all of you out there- in prayer and good thoughts land - please break out the good stuff for my brave pal Thea. She deserves the best!