Frank is an Angel

Monday April 15, 1991

Frank has extended his one-week vacation. Today we went to see my Oncology Dr. Bix. She is young, thin, and blonde. She doesn't seem very warm. We get off to a bad start because she doesn't have my medical records and wants me to tell her everything. I am upset; she should know. Dr. Beinstock arrives with the records. He tells me what he found inside me. It is disturbing to hear.

Dr. Bix explains what will happen with chemo and we decide to start it tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. I'm very anxious to get started.

We won't be going square dancing tonight, again. I'm still nauseous.

The cards and letters are coming in the mail now and still more phone calls. Frank is an angel--for real. He's taking charge of everything and can't do enough for me.

Mom and Frank joined a square dancing club shortly after mom retired. She was blessed to be able to take an early retirement from her job as a purchasing agent for a medical supply company. Frank continued to work for the City of Los Angeles. They danced every week and made a new circle of friends. They even went on camping trips with the square dancing club and bought a new fifth wheel trailer. I am so thankful that Frank stood by her side every step of her journey with this disease. Not only did he extend his vacation but ended up retiring from a job he loved in order to take care of mom.

My parents divorced when I was 19 and mom met Frank 2 years later when she and I were taking dry land ski lessons. At our last session of lessons we went to a park where a small hill was covered with crushed ice to give us the sensation of skiing on snow. Frank was there with his class and he seemed like a friendly guy. I liked him right away. Mom and I were driving away from the park and I encouraged her to get Frank's phone number before we left. She rolled down her car window and they exchanged numbers. He lived in Newbury Park. We lived in Mission Hills, a distance of 35 miles. They started a long-distance relationship which lasted 8 years, spending weekends together while Frank raised his 3 children. Finally in 1982, with Frank's youngest daughter off to college in San Diego, they were married in their brand new home in Simi Valley.