[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] T [/dropcap]HIS week’s quiet hero is somebody rarely caught without a smile on her lovely face, even when life throws the greatest challenges her way.
Susie Alexander and I (Carol) went to school together at East Warrnambool Primary and later, Warrnambool High School, and because she was an Alexander and I was an Altmann, we tended to be in the same alphabetical order line-ups for the selection of the fun stuff (sports teams) and the not so fun stuff (innoculations).
I would joke that I was glad Susie had to go first, then I would know if it was going to hurt or not.
Susie was always much braver than me.
When I met Susie again for the first time in a long time, she told me her mother was very ill with cancer and that she was making the most of the time they still had together. We were suddenly at that age, it seemed, when our parents became vulnerable and fragile.
[dropcap style=”font-size: 60px; color: #A02F2F;”] E [/dropcap]arlier this year, I saw Susie again and she told me that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. It is the sort of news that shrinks the world down to the small stuff, the important stuff and reminds us that, no matter how old we are, we – as humans – are all vulnerable and fragile.
Despite her diagnosis, Susie has not retreated. She is facing her illness head on and undergoing a series of treatments (including what she calls her ‘cocktail days’) that she hopes will see her well enough to join the Sussan Women’s Fun Run on December 8 in Melbourne to raise money for the Breast Cancer Network Australia.
Yes, you read that right: fun run.
Susie always was so much braver than me. I know that to be truer now, than ever.
We normally donate a coffee and cake voucher to our quiet hero, but this time we have made a donation toward Susie’s run on December 8.
We hope you might do the same by clicking on this link: Susie’s run.
Good luck Susie.
Meet our other quiet heroes…
Beautiful story. Does make you think about the important things in life. Go Susie!
I think Susie deserves the coffee and cake too.
Very true, Vera. We think Susie is amazing. We are trying to find a couple of local cafes to sponsor our weekly ‘Quiet Hero”. As we have already made a donation to Susie’s cause (and have paid for all of our ‘quiet heros’ so far) — we hope it won’t be long before a cafe can help us out.