Bill Speer

As one grows older I’d like to believe one also grows wiser.

Certainly that is the desire for my life.

With that maturity for me, at least, has been the realization that life isn’t always fair. At times there are some questions that just don’t have answers or circumstances that seem unjust.

They say at those times when life deals you a lemon, it is time to make lemonade.

If that is true, then Susie’s refrigerator must be filled with nothing but pitchers of this popular summer drink.

Susie is an example of a person who, in the face of adversity, time and time again has demonstrated resilience and optimism. She not only is an inspiration to my wife and I, but an inspiration to hundreds of people across the country, and even the world.

Susie, you see, battles cancer every morning when she wakes up. It has been that way for 11 years now or 4,015 days. Like most of us there are both good days and bad. The difference, however, is her good days are likely savored much more than you or I probably view them, while the bad days could be so dark and painful that we can only imagine – and even then our vision falls probably woefully short of the reality.

Susie and my wife went to high school together, where they were good friends with each other. They even went to the same college. But like many relationships, theirs post-college evolved into an annual Christmas card exchange filled with a year’s memories reduced to three paragraphs or even, some years, just a hastily written signature. Physical distance and the busyness of life both were factors in a once treasured but lapsed friendship.

All that changed 11 years ago. Susie was diagnosed with cancer and facing an uncertain future. The unknown can be a scary place to dwell in for too long. Susie – a medical technician by profession – was well aware of how a positive attitude can impact the healing process.

As she read her Bible and glanced over an old address book stuffed with contact info and business cards of the many people in her life, one such business card with my wife’s work number fell to the floor. Susie viewed it as confirmation that it was high time to re-connect, and that is exactly what the two of them have done.

If I didn’t know better I would think these two are twin sisters from different mothers. When together they finish each other’s sentences, laugh at the same corny things and encourage each other through scripture, letters and gifts.

The highlight from my perspective, however, is their annual get-together when I am allowed into their world for a few days to expereince this incredible bond of sisterhood that they share.

Situated around the “good days” that come after the latest round of chemo, Susie likes making an annual trek to our home for a multi-day visit. The reality of her cancer is that during those visits, because of the toll from the chemo and the emotion from seeing each other, Susie chooses to stay at a hotel where she can power down and recuperate on her terms, in her ways.

And, by doing that, it affords her the opportunity to meet another “prayer buddy.”

You see Susie has been given a unique ministry after having been diagnosed. She meets people right where they are at and often asks if she can pray for them about anything in particular. In many instances, the person she meets breaks down with a heavy burden they have been carrying and Susie prays for them right on the spot. If amendable, and they always are, the two exchang addresses and Susie becomes their prayer partner, card sender and encourager along the way. She has done that in Pennsyvania where she lives and is undergoing her treatments. She has done it in Michigan, Ohio, Florida and wherever she visits – including Iceland earlier this year.

Let me share a glimpse of what that looks like from a visit from her this month. As my wife went into the hotel where Susie was staying one morning to pick her up and start their day, there was Susie embracing one of the staff and praying with them.

On another day a different hotel employee recognized Susie from previous visits over different years, and asked her how her cancer battle was going.

Later that morning, at a local store Susie and Diane visited, they got into a conversation with the clerk and after a few minutes, discovered that person was battling her own cancer diagnosis. And just like that, another “prayer buddy” was added to Susie’s list. Another friend was made. Another hug was given. Another prayer was made at the foot of the throne.

A few months ago Susie went on a trip to Colorado, where she quickly made friends with two farmer couples from Iowa. This fall she is heading to one of their spreads to spend some time “bringing in the harvest.”

Another trip. More friends. More prayer buddies.

In a world sorely in need of more hope and peace, Susie is a refreshing reminder that even when life turns tough, it doesn’t have to be all sour. Just open her refrigerator and grab a pitcher of lemonade.

Bill Speer retired in 2021 as the publisher and editor of The News. He can be reached at bspeer@thealpenanews.com.