Contagious Joy is Her Calling Card

None of us ever wants to see a loved one burdened with illness. Even a simple virus makes us indignant when it interrupts a vibrant life and temporarily takes the smile from our loved one's face. However, when it isn't a simple virus, when it is a serious illness that redirects a person's life and requires them to throw all of their energy and resources into fighting it, it is much harder to accept, especially when that loved one is a vital source of encouragement and support to many others.

My dear friend, Merri Anne, is just such a person. Her kindness, enthusiasm, generosity, and compassion reach far beyond her own family, to virtually everyone she meets. In fact, the old adage, "never met a stranger" was written about her. Her recent diagnosis of treatable non-small cell lung cancer felt to me like a hard slap in the face. However, Merri Anne faces this challenge with the same optimism that she wears like a uniform, and her joy and loving care for others have not been diminished.

I am so thankful that there have been breakthroughs in medical research that make this disease treatable and offer all of us who love her hope! However, these treatments are expensive, and as everyone knows, deductibles and copays add up fast. My hope and prayer is that all of us can gather round this remarkable person and support her at this crucial time. We can lessen her financial burden while she fights this disease with courage, determination, and, of course, her inextinguishable, contagious joy.