Making lemonade

Simply Sleight

by Kari Sleight

I'd heard the adage many times, but when I heard my good friend Sammye tell the audience who'd gathered at last week's Palmer Chamber of Commerce meeting, as they hosted the United Way's Annual Volunteer of the Year Award presentation that, "When life hands you lemons, you make lemonade" along with her most recent "lemony" moment, it started me thinking of the unusually high number of people I know who have recently faced serious "lemony" moments in their life and their ability to make some of the best lemonade around.

A good friend of mine from Colorado, and fellow Wick publisher, has been fighting a portentous battle with leukemia. The e-mail I received announcing his diagnosis and treatment plan also included the line "I also plan to kick this stuff in the a** and go on about my life," a strategy he has lived and breathed in the long months since his treatments started. Though he still has a long road yet to travel in order to slay his antagonist, his optimism and determination never wavers.

Unless you've been living sheltered from all media sources (in which case, you probably won't be reading this anyway), you've heard accounts of DeeDee Jonrowe's fight with breast cancer. DeeDee made so much lemonade, her pitcher overflowed. Not only did she publicly announce her intention to beat the monster that was invading her body, she intended to do it fast and recover quickly enough to run in this year's Iditarod.

Those of you who are regular readers of the Valley Life section of this newspaper are also aware of Linda Ressler's battle with breast cancer. Linda is the mother of Valley Life editor Casey Ressler and mother-in-law to Frontiersman business manager, Tracy Ressler. Linda began her treatment shortly before Thanksgiving, as her family rallied around her. Linda is also the primary care provider for Casey and Tracy's daughter, Madison, an "occupation" she truly cherishes and didn't want to relinquish because of her illness.

Another good friend and fellow Wick publisher, has struggled alongside her daughter in her struggle to have a child. After devastating miscarriages and failed attempts, she finally carried her baby through the critical fourth month. At a routine prenatal ultrasound, it was discovered she was carrying a boy, but the good news was tempered with some bad. A portion of young Nicholas' intestines were growing outside his body; he would have to be monitored closely as the pregnancy progressed and would face surgery shortly after his birth.

My friend in Colorado continues his battle with leukemia and will soon face a bone marrow transplant. DeeDee not only achieved her lofty goal of finishing this year's Iditarod, she accomplished it in grand fashion, finishing the race in the top 20. In addition, DeeDee has seized the opportunity of her celebrity to help further the efforts of breast cancer education. Linda has completed her chemotherapy while continuing to provide care for Maddie. Little Nicholas was welcomed into the world on April 23, surrounded by his loving family, and is now recuperating from his surgery.

In all of the instances mentioned, it would have been so easy, and even understandable, for these people to have simply curled up in a corner and cried "Why me?" In conversations I had with or about these people, never once did I hear of giving up, or of the challenge being too daunting. They grabbed the lemons and squeezed with all their might.

When I hear the stories of those who've mastered the art of making lemonade, it gives me a new perspective on the events in my life. Complaining about those extra pounds that are just "impossible" to lose seems so petty. Juggling the demands of family and career pales in comparison to the demand of chemotherapy. Facing the possibility of losing a prized possession isn't nearly as horrific as facing the possibility of losing your life, or that of a loved one.

What is it in the human dynamics that give one person the ability to make the best of any situation they are dealt, while others seem to crumble under the slightest alteration of their carefully orchestrated life? Is there a special gene some people are born with that others lack? Just as the brave men and women who proudly serve our country in the military on the front line of war in Iraq are truly heroic in their deeds, so, too, are those who valiantly battle their own war on the home front. Whatever the reason, I know my life is richly enhanced just by hearing their stories.

To all of the master lemon squeezers, I gladly raise my glass of lemonade in salute and say "Cheers," you make me a better person for having known you and of your grace in the face of adversity.

Kari Sleight is the publisher of the Frontiersman newspaper.