McKenzie

I had something bother me today that I don't want to write about on here.  As a result I was feeling a little down.  I have a hard time making friends.  Usually it doesn't matter because my family is so awesome, but today I was a little upset.  I took Stockton to diving and stayed to watch Preston.  Mike brought Preston up and took Stockton home. Every once in awhile Adi's mom comes.  We are not always on the same schedule, so I never know when I'm going to see her.  Her name is McKenzie and about a month ago we became quick friends.  I was wearing my Evan McMullin shirt and she came and started talking to me about it.  McKenzie is amazing and I already adore her.  It makes me so happy to see her.  Just what I needed today.  McKenzie's husband is going to medical school in Georgia.  They went there for Thanksgiving.  They are also planning on going for Christmas.  She is so excited.  They have a little girl that is 6 and a boy that just turned 1. McKenzie is staying in Utah while she finished treatment for breast cancer.  She discovered it in July.  She was 29 years old.  She is now 30. I see her a few days after her Taxol chemo treatments and I can't even believe it.  She is having surgery on Friday.  I hope it goes well.  Her last surgery put her in the ICU for four days.  I'm not sure if I'll see her before she goes to Georgia for Christmas.

Anyways, McKenzie had the coolest story.  She flew back from Georgia yesterday.  She had a message from a lady that runs a cancer support group that she joined.  McKenzie called her back while she was at baggage claim.  She was told that Angela Johnson (the sculpture that just finished the pieces for the new Light of the World Garden at Thanksgiving Point) wanted to use her as a model for her next sculpture.  She wants to do a sculpture of a woman with breast cancer and Christ helping her through the process.  She went and sat for Angela that very day.  McKenzie explained what it is going to look like and how she felt.  It was one of the most spiritual experiences she has ever had.  I am so excited to see this new sculpture.  I am so glad McKenzie was at diving today.  Just the pick-me-up I needed.  I am extremely thankful my problems aren't anywhere close to hers.  It is amazing to here her talk about her cancer.  All she talks about is the 'tender mercies' she has seen.  For example, her boy was born premature.  She wanted to get pregnant right away because she has a hard time getting pregnant.  There is a 6 year gap between her two kids. When her boy was premature her doctor told her that she shouldn't have other kids for a year and a half.  I think the doctor wanted this child's immune system to fully develop.  (I had never heard of that before.  My doctor didn't tell me that after Stockton.  Anyways, it is what her doctor told her.)  She followed that advice and found out she had cancer when her baby was about seven months old. She has a super aggressive type of cancer.  If she was pregnant, she would have horrible decisions to make.  McKenzie is such a light in the world.  I hope she can survive the cruel disease.  It was weird though.  I saw a picture of her from a year ago.  She laughed when I gasped, "Look!  You have hair!"  She said, "That's right.  You have never seen me with hair, have you?"  She is beautiful with and without hair.  Some people just are.