She learned my chemotherapy schedule better than I did

Dear Delyara, During chemotherapy, my closest friend made a colour-coded calendar of every infusion, blood test, medication day, and expected side effect. She attended appointments when my husband could not, but the greater kindness was how she protected the rest of our friendship. She still sent gossip, bad jokes, photographs of dogs, and complaints about work. Cancer did not become the only subject allowed between us. On difficult days, she brought food and sat quietly. On better days, she insisted we argue about television as usual. Today, one year after treatment ended, she arrived with the old calendar framed behind glass. Across the final treatment date, she had written, “We made it here.” I corrected her and said I had made it. She replied, “Exactly. I just kept the dates.” That was her gift throughout: she never claimed my battle, but she made sure I did not have to remember every step alone.