{"id":47980,"date":"2016-11-15T18:02:01","date_gmt":"2016-11-16T01:02:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/?p=47980"},"modified":"2016-11-15T18:02:01","modified_gmt":"2016-11-16T01:02:01","slug":"healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/11\/15\/healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army\/","title":{"rendered":"The healing power of friendship: One Idyllwild woman\u2019s cancer battle raises an army"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Judy
Judy Lawler of Idyllwild, relishing her first experience at a tattoo parlor, takes pleasure in sending cancer a message of defiance last Saturday. Photo by Lori Cornell<\/figcaption><\/figure>
\nBy Pat Hughes
\nSpecial to the Town Crier<\/strong><\/p>\n

It was back. Ten years had passed since she had won the battle against breast cancer, yet here it was again. Judy Lawler felt her usual carefree demeanor abandon her just as surely as the test results inserted cancer, front and center, once again into her life. Watching her husband\u2019s stoic expression crumble at the news hit her like a knife in her already troubled heart. Even her self-deprecating, irreverent sense of humor, which she wore like a protective shield, couldn\u2019t deflect the fear that gripped her body and soul. <\/p>\n

But Lawler is surrounded by friends and family. Starting with her closest friends in her Idyllwild quilting guild, she shares the devastating news that she will immediately undergo chemo. As the treatment wreaks havoc on her entire system, Lawler\u2019s platinum silver hair quickly starts to fall, sending her to her newly amassed stash of stylish hats, caps and headbands. Jess Tena, husband of her close friend and fellow quilter, Sally, promptly shaves his head to let her know she is not alone. <\/p>\n

As the chemo therapy concludes, she is faced with the news that this time around the treatment has achieved no positive results. She\u2019s once again bald and now facing a mastectomy and radiation. Lawler, mentally donning the robes of a warrior, announces to her quilting friends that she is going to get a tattoo on her breast; one that clearly tells cancer what she thinks of it. She can\u2019t wait to see the first nurse or doctor who happens upon that declaration forever inked onto her skin. <\/p>\n

Joined by half dozen or so friends at the Hemet tattoo parlor, she\u2019s completely surprised to see that many of those in her posse also have appointments. Lawler is not alone in this new experience as she witnesses a variety of tattoos blossoming on the chests, arms and legs of quilting grandmothers. \u201cIn that moment I was overwhelmed by this sense of protection, surrounded by my friend\u2019s laughter. Their support empowered me and left me thoroughly delighted,\u201d Lawler concludes.<\/p>\n

The tattoos barely healed, Lawler is headed this lovely fall day to A Cut Above Salon and Day Spa located one half block from where the quilting group holds their monthly meetings and workshops. Today her heart is full at the news that Carmen Terrazas, close friend and quilt guild president, is having her shiny, shoulder length locks completely shorn so they can both run around town in snazzy hats. \u201cJust what I needed,\u201d Lawler muses, adding, \u201cIf people could grasp how impactful these gestures can be, right when one feels the most alone, they wouldn\u2019t hesitate sharing their life-affirming gift of friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The following week\u2019s itinerary is discussed, confirming that Lawler\u2019s sister and niece will be driving her to the hospital for the mastectomy. The surgery-day game plan continues as carpools are set for the hospital-bound warrior friends. A lively debate ensues as to who is preparing what meals to stock in Lawler\u2019s refrigerator during her recovery. <\/p>\n

Once again, there it is: that bond of friendship popping up like cheerful detour signs in the face of cancer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It was back. Ten years had passed since she had won the battle against breast cancer, yet here it was again. Judy Lawler felt her usual carefree demeanor abandon her just as surely as the test results inserted cancer, front and center, once again into her life. Watching her husband\u2019s stoic expression crumble at the news hit her like a knife in her already troubled heart. Even her self-deprecating, irreverent sense of humor, which she wore like a protective shield, couldn\u2019t deflect the fear that gripped her body and soul …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1112,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"amp_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe healing power of friendship: One Idyllwild woman\u2019s cancer battle raises an army • Idyllwild Town Crier<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/11\/15\/healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\">\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"2 minutes\">\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/\",\"name\":\"Idyllwild Town Crier\",\"description\":\"Almost All the News \\u2014\\u00a0Part of the Time\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/?s={search_term_string}\",\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/11\/15\/healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army\/#primaryimage\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"http:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/cancer2.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/11\/15\/healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army\/#webpage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/11\/15\/healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army\/\",\"name\":\"The healing power of friendship: One Idyllwild woman\\u2019s cancer battle raises an army • Idyllwild Town Crier\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/11\/15\/healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army\/#primaryimage\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-16T01:02:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-11-16T01:02:01+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9f11c07fc08c358f6b7b114a6b6a732b\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/2016\/11\/15\/healing-power-friendship-one-idyllwild-womans-cancer-battle-raises-army\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#\/schema\/person\/9f11c07fc08c358f6b7b114a6b6a732b\",\"name\":\"Idyllwild Town Crier\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/#personlogo\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/b0d83f0a50f2d74710cedd69f59edaeb?s=96&d=retro&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Idyllwild Town Crier\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47980"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47980"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47980\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47982,"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47980\/revisions\/47982"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/idyllwildtowncrier.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}