The Fruit Basket

I wanted to introduce myself as Amy's co-blogger. My name is Kate and I'll be updating Amy's blog when she's in the hospital and immediately there after.

I've been putting off this introduction for months! I never really knew what to say about myself, and thought I wouldn't have to step in for quite awhile. Wrong! Amy's surgery looms, and I better get on with introductions.

I live in Minnesota, Land of Perpetual Snow. Married, no children. Total city girl. I love knitting - projects that fill many a free hour, or the search for more yarn (you can never have enough yarn!). A job in a cooking store lets me talk and pursue my other love, food! I love to cook, eat and talk about food. I think scoping out the local farmer's market, or trying to make the perfect souffle, fun! Give me a French recipe for Crème brûlée, and I'll happily spend hours perfecting the recipe. A chihuahua named Stanley rounds out my life - he who thinks he's the biggest, baddest dog in the neighborhood!

Amy and I met many moons ago online. We share the same sense of absurd humor, sensibilities, and love of life - spending many a happy hour discussing gardens, husbands, and her disgusting choices of alcoholic drink.

We've giggled about the silly and not so silly, finding that humor helps in any situation.
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When Amy first told me about the tumor last year, I was shocked. I had a hard time accepting that someone so dear, so vital, so intelligent! could have this nasty diagnosis. And me being me, I needed all the details - how big was it, where was it, what now?

Amy patiently led me thru the mire of information, her decisions, the ups and downs of MRIs, blood work and all the other details of "The Fruit Basket."

The Fruit Basket. Funny term eh? Its comes from one of the very first conversations we had about the tumor. I wanted to know how big it was, and she told me in very technical terms the millimeters and position. Here's the conversation from that time:

Kate: Well, I don't understand. Is that like the size of a grape?
Amy: Well, maybe a little bigger.
Kate: A plum?
Amy: Maybe like a half an orange. Its hard to tell whats the tumor and whats the swelling.
Kate: Not a half an orange! Thats like... well, big! Maybe its a cherry. Or I prefer half a plum, thats smaller.
Amy: It could be a pineapple. Who knows until the tests come back.
Kate: Crap! You've got a freaking fruit basket up there!

We've referred to it as The Fruit Basket ever since that day.
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I originally pressured Amy to start this blog as a way of getting information to friends and family, and as a way to connect with other people who have tumors. More importantly though as a way to express herself, and voice her fears and frustrations, to let off steam and stress. I pestered her for a week, maybe two, before she finally dipped a toe into the world of blogs.

I'm very happy she did.

She made me promise when she started the blog that I would take over for her if she were unable. She thought that I would be able to keep a level head, get information out to her friends and family via the blog in a timely manner following the surgery and hospital stay, and keep my sense of humor throughout it all.

Thats a very tall order. But I aim to try.