Losing another friend in battle
COLUMN
ANN JACKSON Mangia! Mangia!

I lost another friend to Breast Cancer this month.

I first met her in 1999 just after I finished my own breast cancer journey of diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy and radiation.

In reality, I never met the young woman in person. I just read about her in the newspaper. Lisa Moore was a character in the Funky Winkerbean comic strip and her story hit close to home.

When I first followed Lisa, the cancer journey was new to me, and I was pleased cartoonist Tom Batiuk was writing about the emotions behind our mutual experiences.

As I walked with Lisa, I cried with her when she lost her hair and wanted to give her a high five when she finished chemotherapy.

All's well that ends well, I thought.

This spring, when I turned to the strip, there was Lisa. She was living a survivor's worst nightmare: her breast cancer had returned.

I followed the story just as enthusiastically as I had when I was a child following the adventures of Dick Tracy as he tracked down the likes of Prune Face and Flat Top.

But this time, Lisa Moore was my hero.

The cartoon character took on the persona of friends and family over the last several years as they too battled enemy number one.

When Lisa was told of the recurrence, my heart sank.

I remembered the day my role model Linda called me to tell me her cancer had returned.

As she had done for me so many times, I attempted words of encouragement. Then, I turned off the phone and cried like a baby.

As the cartoon character went through chemo again, it was another friend Linda sitting in the chair discussing clinical trials and chatting about the latest cancer research.

"Are you all following Funky Winkerbean?" I asked one night at my Bosom Buddies meeting. "Her fighting spirit reminds me of Mary when she was putting up her battle," said Pat.

It was close to home, we all agreed.

Later her oncologist told Lisa that medical science had done all they could for her.

It echoed the sadness in Miss Emma's voice the day she told our ETMC Cancer Support Group those same words.

When the character's husband Les called in Hospice, I felt the same despondency as when I learned my friend Roxanne was in palliative care.

It was not Lisa, but my friend Kathy, who was asleep in her hospital bed at the center of the family room.

A soft pink blanket covered Kathy with bright pink ribbons in the design.

When I said goodbye to my friend for the last time, she opened her weary eyes and said, "I love you, sister."

Appropriately, the final days of the cartoon character's life were during October, Breast Cancer Awareness month.

As I read the panels, I recalled the helplessness and yet the strength of the husbands and children as they sat at the bedside of their loved ones.

"How are they holding themselves together," I thought as I left their home or hospital room.

Perhaps on the funny page, in the middle of Peanuts and Garfield, isn't the place to learn about cancer.

It's not the place to take us through chemotherapy, baldness and the palliative care of a patient.

Nor is it the place to show the depths of grief suffered by family members who are left behind.

On the other hand, if the strip brings awareness of the devastating disease that strikes one in eight women each year and gives us insight into what patients and caregivers are going through, then accolades to cartoonist Tom Batiuk.

As we say in East Texas, you done good.

A salad for Roxanne

In May, while packing to leave Camp Getaway, I told my roommate Roxanne I would be working on bringing my own salad dressing to next year's camp.

As promised, here is a salad made from packaged greens and a homemade dressing of garlic-infused olive oil.

8 ounces extra virgin olive oil, divided

8 cloves garlic

10 to 12 ounces packaged salad greens

2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

Salt and pepper to taste

Heat 4 ounces olive oil in a small pan over low heat. With a wide knife, smash, peel and thinly slice the cloves of garlic. Add to the heated oil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes.

Remove from heat, add the remaining 4 ounces of oil and allow cooling.

Transfer the cooled oil and garlic cloves to a sterilized bottle and cap.

Allow oil mixture flavors to meld for at least one hour before use.

At serving time, season salad greens of your choice with balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with desired amount of prepared olive oil.

Use remaining the oil within 24 hours or refrigerate and use within 10 days.

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Antoinette Jackson is a Bullard-area resident. You may reach her at Antojxn@aol.com.