I just lost a friend

A good friend and former colleague of mine just lost her five-year battle with ovarian cancer. Tammy Brittingham was a damned good journalist and a fine person, but I had lost contact with her until I learned she had cancer.
I too am a cancer warrior: Two years ago I was diagnosed with Stage III squamous cell carcinoma of the right tonsil, metastasized to one lymph node. We reconnected, shared war stories, and she told me how she'd established a foundation to help poor women in our area (which is largely rural) pay for the simple but essential things needed during cancer treatment: day care, a ride to chemo appointments, etc. She said she wanted to help them through "what can be a dark and lonely place."
I came across something she had written on an ovarian cancer forum a couple of years ago, and I wanted to share it with you who are battling the beast and might appreciate it more than the folks on the head & neck cancer forum, where I hang out. But as a cancer warrior it speaks to me, too.
She wrote:
"Now, nearly a year later I can honestly say that cancer has made me a different and I believe better person. I still like to have the last word. I'm still obsessive-compulsive about having a clean house and an organized desk. I still want my own way (because its the best way!) But I notice how brightly the sun shines, how beautiful rain clouds are, how incredibly blue the sky is even when it isn't, how the wind sounds and how the sun feels on my skin. Every hug from my beautiful son (who moved back east from New Mexico after my diagnosis) brings tears to my eyes and joy wells in my heart. And when my husband smiles at me, tells me I'm beautiful (even though I'm a recovering baldy), and says he'll love me forever, I know that I will never die."

--Jim in Delaware