Thank You

Written: 01/23/2022

A Big Huge THANK YOU’s Post

My Mayo Nurses (& Surgeon & Residents & Surgical Team I didn’t get to “meet”) gracefully guided me through the toughest week of my life. They were patient without pause, kind, smiley, compassionate, unbelievably attentive (call button time under 60s every. single. time. Insane!), tough loving, complimentary Angels who made my experience better each and every day. Even the two nurses whose only job was to wheel me to my car on my last day – one had the best Boston accent & funniest jokes I’ve ever heard & the other told me how pretty I was the whole way down & shared her personal cancer experience with me My Social Worker who gave us gas and grocery gift cards What a difference you all made

My Family…My Big Huge Family. This past year their love has been so present in my life, but I have to say it always has been. The last 26 and a half years I have had the constant love and presence of every type of Parent & Sibling you can have, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Second Cousins, Grandparents for a Long time – I am so fortunate. For goodness sakes Karla sent me a care package big enough to last me until 2024 and Nick White flew here from Alaska! But it really has been no surprise how they have gathered around me now. Since being 0, all I’ve done is collect more and more family – the Oakes, and Maciejewski’s, and the ENTIRE Mangutz Family Tree It’s honestly overwhelmingly beautiful to feel the familial love of so many. I hope each & every one of you knows how much you mean to me.

The friends…the friends the friends the friends! Childhood, High School, College (Sports, Class, Sorority), Graduate School, Med School, Residency, Family Friends…it’s amazing how many of you have sent me personal messages & cards and I just can’t believe you’d take a moment to brighten my days I feel your presence from all over the world & it really warms me from deep within my soul

My Husband…haven’t found the words. I’ll try this one later

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Your kindness is much appreciated by me & Nicholas & my Parents

Photos of the cards & flowers (drying to make potpourri)

Edit 01/12/2024

I knew this two years ago, but my goodness how those sentiments have continued to ring true and bring me to tears. I think you have a moment of “this is only because I’m sick”, “this love will fade into the background of my life”. And, I’d be lying if I said that wasn’t the tiniest bit true. I’m not showered with outward showings of love. That does come to an end. But what remains? What remains is a deeper sense of closeness you never imagined. An understanding if you were in the worst case scenario all over again, it wouldn’t be so bad, because you know what it feels like when love from all sides closes in and envelopes you.

The respect I have for those relationships and my understanding of how they deserve to be cherished is so clear to me now. For that, I am very very grateful. And, one more time, thank you.