Hello Friends,

It seemed like my Muse had deserted me in the last few days.  I am feeling heartbroken because a precious member of our community, Beverly Brown — who has been a pillar of a popular online prostate cancer support group for years — has been afflicted.  Sorely.  And when one of us suffers, we all suffer. 

Beverley is an extraordinary woman.  At one time or another she has been everybody’s mother, sister, friend or advisor.  First thing she wrote me when I “joined the PC club” was:  “Here’s my phone number.  Call anytime.”

The “membership” of the Club in which Bev figures prominently is overwhelmingly male.  So it’s a good thing that Bev, like me, seems to regard men as the “fairer sex”.  My guess is that If you you have that mindset, you have probably been around high-quality men.  In Bev’s case, “Exhibit A” is her beloved husband, George.  And Exhibit B?  The Brothers in the newsgroup.

Bev joined the prostate cancer support group shortly after her husband was diagnosed.  It was a difficult time for her.  She later wrote:

“When I started out here, I would end up pouring my heart out to a few of the guys, who somehow managed to wipe my tears and ease my fears.”

Well, Bev went on to emulate these men, and she has since wiped away many a tear herself.

Beverley and George recently celebrated the fifth anniversary of George’s being PC-free.  But the rejoicing was short-lived.

Last week George, a youthful 61, suffered a “massive stroke”, apparently because of a congenital problem. George  fought for his country in Vietnam.  But now he lies in a hospital bed in Virginia Beach, fighting the the biggest battle of his life.  He needs a miracle.

Everything I’ve heard about George makes him sound like a special, wonderful, caring man.  And I saw his picture online today, so I have to agree with Beverley that he is quite handsome.  In this case, the exterior happens to match the interior.  The other day Bev wrote:

“George is my rock.  He’s my hero, and he has been since the first day I met him.  We fell in love almost instantly and were married five weeks later.  We are still madly in love.”

 And Bev once confided in me: “George has always been the one I leaned on, the one who protected me and kept me safe.  He is also my best friend  I can’t imagine life without him”.

Beverly and George’s union is a real love story, a true meeting of the hearts and minds.

They met when she was only 17 and he was 24.  As she tells it:

“I was working full time, living on my own, and in my first year at a local college. Omigod, he was handsome, sexy, intelligent, and he had already served his country.  He had a [shapely derriere], broad shoulders and muscles that would make any female swoon. And he could kiss!”

And Bev, at 5’9″ and 103 lbs., was a “looker” herself.  She had even done some modeling.  But, as she put it later, “I was more interested in getting an education than on being on the cover of a magazine.”

The relationship was not without problems:  George came from “the wrong side of the tracks”.  And he was a bit shorter than the statuesque Bev.  But love found a way — it always does.

Now Beverley and George have been together for over 36 years, and they have been blessed with children and granchildren.

Bev once wrote me that she had come across a quote that she just had to share with me:

“Remember that the best relationship is one in which your love for each other exceeds your need for each other”.

George is a lucky man by that standard.  He has a woman by his side whose love for him is boundless.

*And now I have a special favor to ask of all of you.*

Please say a prayer for this very special couple, keep them in your thoughts and “send” healing vibes their way.  We need to somehow invoke the mercy of the universe on George and Bev’s behalf.

I don’t pray much these days, but being from an ultra-religious Jewish family, I was taught from an early age that the solution to every problem, especially healing the sick, is reciting from the Book of Psalms.  Fortunately it reads beautifully, especially in the original Hebrew.  And it is comforting.

So, although I’m not really on “speaking terms” with the Lord, I will put aside my pride and pray.  With all my heart.

*So please do the same.*

Leah