Thank God for family and friends! I've been dealing with this medical thing for over four years now, but the beginning of this year was a particularly bad time for me. Just when it was getting too heavy to bear, an old best friend showed up at my house one day for a visit. Then, for the next two months, he came by almost every day. His company and support were invaluable, and now we're best friends again. It couldn't have happened at a better time!

My mom, too, has a weird way of calling whenever I'm feeling really down in the dumps, or when I'm thinking of her.