It's Good to be King
I lost my dear friend, Karen King, to cancer last night.
Karen was an amazing woman whom I truly admired. We started with a working relationship that turned into a fun, adventurous friendship. The thing I loved about her was that she was always a bit mysterious. And the more I hung out with her, the more she would share with me. Fascinating stories that were always humorous and fun. My friend Abbie said it well for many of us..."Karen, you will live in infamy as the most badass woman I have ever know." She touched many this way. When Karen got an idea in her head, look out because she was doing it. She wasn't backing down. She believed that women could do anything and so empowered many of us!
Karen and I share a story together; one that started out very similar in the beginning, but unfortunately had a very different ending. When I went to get my mammogram, I was sitting in the waiting room of the Radiology area. Next thing I know, here comes Karen. She plops down next to me, and we both ask each other.."What the hell are you doing here?" There were plenty of people sitting around us so we both had the same quiet answer of "running some tests." Karen was called back first. Later that day, she called me and said, "Well of course, they weren't ready for me after all and sent me back out to the waiting room. I was heading back to where you and I were sitting, and would you believe there were two old women sitting there that took our seats?!" She had no idea what a horrible appointment I had just had, and she had no idea how great it was that she was able to make me laugh.
About a week later, I was in the process of letting people know that I had been diagnosed with breast cancer. I had tried to call Karen and left her a voicemail to call me. Later that day when she returned my call, she said she had something she needed to talk to me about. I told her I did too. She went on to explain that they had found a tumor in her colon that was probably cancer, and she would need surgery as soon as possible. In turn, I told her my unfortunate news. We were both shocked to be sharing these stories with each other on the very same day. And because we both began dealing with each other's news with humor, we joked that maybe we could just have surgery on the same day, and we could be roomies. Wouldn't it be so fun to drive those nurses crazy!? Until her surgery, Karen and I talked or shared texts, checking in on each other almost everyday. Unfortunately, Karen's story took a different turn than mine.
After surgery, Karen's kidneys stopped working. After a couple weeks of dialysis, they never regained function. The surgery revealed that her tumor was cancer, and it had spread to her liver as well. A couple days ago, Karen decided to stop the painful dialysis.
I went to see her two nights ago. She was able to stay awake for a wonderful ten minute conversation that I will never forget. She immediately wanted to know about me and my cancer and my treatments. She told me over and over to just beat it...beat my cancer. As I promised her that I would, she just smiled as she started to fall asleep.
I am so thankful that God blessed me with a chance to say goodbye.
So, Karen King, this is in memory of you!
Love you!
It's Good to be King by Tom Petty
It's good to be king, if just for a while
To be there in velvet, yeah, to give 'em a smile
It's good to get high and never come down
It's good to be king of your own little town
Yeah, the world would swing if I were king
Can I help it if I still dream time to time
It's good to be king and have your own way
Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day
And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings
You're out there with winners, it's good to be king
Yeah I'll be king when dogs get wings
Can I help it if I still dream time to time
It's good to be king and have your own world
It helps to make friends, it's good to meet girls
A sweet little queen who can't run away
It's good to be king, whatever it pays
Excuse me if I have some place in my mind
Where I go time to time
Karen was an amazing woman whom I truly admired. We started with a working relationship that turned into a fun, adventurous friendship. The thing I loved about her was that she was always a bit mysterious. And the more I hung out with her, the more she would share with me. Fascinating stories that were always humorous and fun. My friend Abbie said it well for many of us..."Karen, you will live in infamy as the most badass woman I have ever know." She touched many this way. When Karen got an idea in her head, look out because she was doing it. She wasn't backing down. She believed that women could do anything and so empowered many of us!
Karen and I share a story together; one that started out very similar in the beginning, but unfortunately had a very different ending. When I went to get my mammogram, I was sitting in the waiting room of the Radiology area. Next thing I know, here comes Karen. She plops down next to me, and we both ask each other.."What the hell are you doing here?" There were plenty of people sitting around us so we both had the same quiet answer of "running some tests." Karen was called back first. Later that day, she called me and said, "Well of course, they weren't ready for me after all and sent me back out to the waiting room. I was heading back to where you and I were sitting, and would you believe there were two old women sitting there that took our seats?!" She had no idea what a horrible appointment I had just had, and she had no idea how great it was that she was able to make me laugh.
 |
| Karen and me at my Mad Men themed 40th Birthday Party |
After surgery, Karen's kidneys stopped working. After a couple weeks of dialysis, they never regained function. The surgery revealed that her tumor was cancer, and it had spread to her liver as well. A couple days ago, Karen decided to stop the painful dialysis.
I went to see her two nights ago. She was able to stay awake for a wonderful ten minute conversation that I will never forget. She immediately wanted to know about me and my cancer and my treatments. She told me over and over to just beat it...beat my cancer. As I promised her that I would, she just smiled as she started to fall asleep.
I am so thankful that God blessed me with a chance to say goodbye.
So, Karen King, this is in memory of you!
Love you!
It's good to be king, if just for a while
To be there in velvet, yeah, to give 'em a smile
It's good to get high and never come down
It's good to be king of your own little town
Yeah, the world would swing if I were king
Can I help it if I still dream time to time
It's good to be king and have your own way
Get a feeling of peace at the end of the day
And when your bulldog barks and your canary sings
You're out there with winners, it's good to be king
Yeah I'll be king when dogs get wings
Can I help it if I still dream time to time
It's good to be king and have your own world
It helps to make friends, it's good to meet girls
A sweet little queen who can't run away
It's good to be king, whatever it pays
Excuse me if I have some place in my mind
Where I go time to time
May you find some comfort in the good times you shared! I hope you are on your way to recovery. My thoughts will be with you.
ReplyDeleteKaren was an amazing woman who always made me laugh. I'm really going to miss her.
ReplyDeleteWonderful story, Lori...God sends us just the right people at the right time. Glad you could share this with Karen - and she with you. She was "one of a kind", and will be missed. Good luck to you as you continue your journey. May God bless you beyond measure.
ReplyDelete