Days of Shock and Hope

Bong! . . . :-) . . . Welcome to Macintosh!

Hello friends and readers. Like the rest of the columns on LEM, this column would usually discuss the oldest and newest Mac or "i" related news and features, but today's Welcome to Macintosh article takes on a far more personal note.

In our lives, we go from place to place, here to there, filling up our days with work and hopefully ending our days with a family to come home to - people whom we love and care about dearly. In our circle of life, this includes friends as well.

Imagine a much loved friend, whom you truly cared about, but also someone you happened to care about as more than a friend, coming by your house to tell you she has cancer....

That's what happened with my dear friend in February. (To respect her privacy, I prefer to leave her name out of this column.)

I met her in the summer of 2006. She changed me in many ways. I weighed more than I had in my life at 210 pounds. Because of her, I found the initiative to drop 70 pounds. She changed me on so many levels. I grew to care about her very much over time. Then, just like one of the worst nightmares you could imagine, word came....

She dropped by my house in February to tell me the doctors had found she had cancer - life-threatening cancer. I was shocked to the very core, frozen in terror. I clung to my faith in God, my hope never wavering, not for a second. I kept the prayer lines jammed up in the sky every second for the woman who I affectionately call "the girl with the sparkling eyes and beautiful smile." Doctors threw the maximum amount of chemo and radiation they could at her to stop the cancer, as it was in the most advanced stage. The odds for survival weren't in her favor, but I had faith God would heal her.

My life hasn't been the same, as my focus has shifted in many different directions since. I've been consumed with worry but have managed to stay strong through it all. This is also the reason I've been absent recently on Low End.

The good news is that the chemo killed the cancer. The not so good news is that the chemo is beating her up pretty bad. She has to continue the chemo treatments until March at the latest.

She's been home from the hospital for a while and came by to see me this past Friday night. She's still as beautiful as ever. She's hanging in there, and I was beyond thrilled to see her. My eyes lit up like never before! (Early on in February or March, I even got her a pink iPod nano and gave it to her as part of a care package. I adore her very much.)

She's an independent woman and asks for very little. She asked me not too long ago if I could find her a used laptop, and that she would be willing to pay for it. But with all the medical bills she and her family are paying, I want to find her one and give it to her. She wants the laptop so she can keep in touch with family members in Minnesota via MySpace, along with her friends, plus she's interested in taking online courses. She would like to stay with Windows, because she knows it best.

What little she has asked of me, I've never let her down - and God willing, I don't intend to start now. I want to come through for her if at all possible!

My first request above all: Please pray for my friend and her family that God will heal her and bring her through this stronger than ever before. I know her family, and I know I personally would be forever grateful for any and all prayers. She has another surgery coming up later this month.

My second request is a plea to everyone out there: Does anyone have a Windows laptop no more than 3 years old they don't need anymore? Money is extremely tight for me as well, but I'd be willing to work out something to make it happen. It has to be in good working condition. If you or anyone you know can help with this, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, please email me at thomas (at) lowendmac (dot) com.

I'd like to end on this note: When you wake up in the morning, be thankful for each and every day. When you greet your family in the morning and in the evening, give them a hug and hang on tight. Life is but a whisper in the wind. Treasure the people whom you love dearly. Never take a second for granted.

God bless you all!