Update On Joanne

I was in for a visit with Joanne today (Monday). Unfortunately .... she slept through it. I don't seem to have good timing with my visits. Kay has promised to call me when Joanne is awake so that I have a chance to talk with her.

Today, however, I had a good chat with Kay and had the pleasure to meet Joanne's brother Dan and sister-in-law Linda ...... (yes, I was introduced to them as the Irish Blessing gal!)

I was telling Dan that Joanne is the only person I know that would be able to walk out of the house on the way to an Irish dance competition with her morphine pack strapped on and a smile on her face.

One of the competitions that we traveled together to a year ago was in Oakville. Due to her hip problems, Joanne wasn't driving far distances at that time...so I was the driver and she was my navigator.

Darcy danced early that morning and my daughter was dancing in the afternoon. Part way through the day, Joanne asked me for the keys so that she could go lay down in the van. She was feeling nauseous from the pain. While Joanne slept in the van, I ran around the competition trying to find a dancer that had already finished dancing that would be able to give Joanne an early ride home. I had Susan all set to drive Joanne home when in from the car she comes to announce that she wasn't leaving! She informed me that she came with two dancers and she wasn't going home until she had watched both girls dance. So although Darcy was done for the day - she was not leaving and there was nothing I could do to convince her otherwise. ..... and there she sat, front and center cheering Allison on. How many of us would have taken that early ride home .... if we had even had the gumption to make it out in the first place.

That is the strength of a mother and a friend.