By Ellen Andersen

I’ve had a lump/growth on the side of my left baby toe for about a year. It didn’t hurt and didn’t cause any problems with walking, so I just kept an eye on it. Last fall, I saw it had grown and spread, so I decided to talk to a doctor. After an x-ray, she said there was a mass.

After she removed the mass, they sent it off to the lab and those folks “saw something’ so they sent it to another lab for a consultation. Three weeks later the doctor called. The tumor was malignant. The surgeon was surprised and even said she’d never heard of that type cancer. She referred me to a radiation oncologist.

After swallowing the information and breathing deeply to regain some composure to think straight, I called my folks to tell them the news. A few days later, I composed a letter to my extended family to let them know.

A few days later, the doorbell rang. A lady handed me a bouquet of carnations in a glass vase. I wondered who they were from. I went in the house and opened the card in it

‘Our family is tough, no doubt. Just a bump in the road to quickly get over. Even though I don’t come around much like the rest of the family, I’m just a phone call or e-mail away. Stay strong and be positive. Cousin Brad”

“Brad? Really. Wow.” I haven’t seen him in over a year, yet he was kind enough to send me flowers to brighten my day and bring a smile to my face.