This time last year, almost to the day, I set off to London from DC to be with Helena. The ash cloud that sent Europe into turmoil miraculously cleared a day before and I made the journey across the atlantic with three large suitcases. I couldn't wait to be with Helena, for good this time.
When I arrived in London early the next morning I found Helena in her pyjamas, having just woken up. Strapped around her little waist was a blue bag that held her newest chemo treatment, a sign that things had gotten worse since I saw her just a month before.
But most noticeable was her smile and delight in my arrival. I still remember the warm hug she gave me and the chipper tone of her voice as she exclaimed how good it was to have me there.
The next few days were a whirlwind as we set about the task of finding a more permanent place for all of us to stay, to pick up a new blonde wig for Helena, to refill prescriptions and to send Anne and Cecilia off to Kenya to pack up Helena's house. When they left Helena and I had a few days to ourselves in London before moving out to the house in the countryside that I finally managed to find for us.
They were not easy days. Helena was in a lot of pain and very tired, and I felt a great a responsibility to ensure she was comfortable and entertained. I worked my way through a new cookbook for cancer patients to help her to cope with some of her side effects, and I ran around getting any little thing she wanted.
Yet, the strongest memory of our days together in London is a little outing we made to the Fortnum & Mason department store in Piccadilly. Helena wanted to get a hamper for her friends upcoming wedding so we took the bus downtown with her clutching my arm with determination.
We walked all along the aisle of the beautiful food court, choosing each item for the hamper with care. When we were pleased with our selection we sat down in their beautiful conservatory for a little afternoon tea. With a hint of oysters filling the air Helena told me all about their possible health dangers and we sipped our elderflower presse with sophistication.
It was just a small outing but today it reminds me of some of the many qualities Helena exuded: determination, generosity, and sophistication, and I will always cherish these memories from London together, remembering that with the hardship there was always a beautiful day.
When I arrived in London early the next morning I found Helena in her pyjamas, having just woken up. Strapped around her little waist was a blue bag that held her newest chemo treatment, a sign that things had gotten worse since I saw her just a month before.
But most noticeable was her smile and delight in my arrival. I still remember the warm hug she gave me and the chipper tone of her voice as she exclaimed how good it was to have me there.
The next few days were a whirlwind as we set about the task of finding a more permanent place for all of us to stay, to pick up a new blonde wig for Helena, to refill prescriptions and to send Anne and Cecilia off to Kenya to pack up Helena's house. When they left Helena and I had a few days to ourselves in London before moving out to the house in the countryside that I finally managed to find for us.
They were not easy days. Helena was in a lot of pain and very tired, and I felt a great a responsibility to ensure she was comfortable and entertained. I worked my way through a new cookbook for cancer patients to help her to cope with some of her side effects, and I ran around getting any little thing she wanted.
Yet, the strongest memory of our days together in London is a little outing we made to the Fortnum & Mason department store in Piccadilly. Helena wanted to get a hamper for her friends upcoming wedding so we took the bus downtown with her clutching my arm with determination.
We walked all along the aisle of the beautiful food court, choosing each item for the hamper with care. When we were pleased with our selection we sat down in their beautiful conservatory for a little afternoon tea. With a hint of oysters filling the air Helena told me all about their possible health dangers and we sipped our elderflower presse with sophistication.
It was just a small outing but today it reminds me of some of the many qualities Helena exuded: determination, generosity, and sophistication, and I will always cherish these memories from London together, remembering that with the hardship there was always a beautiful day.
Dear Annika,
ReplyDeleteOh, my God it is so heartbreaking to know that she want be there again. I miss her every day...
Anders