Onward!

I met Amy Farber through my job (she's an alumna of the school where I work), but over the past year and a half, I have really come to cherish her as a friend and an inspiration.

Amy was diagnosed with lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM for short) in April of 2005. LAM is a fatal lung disease that strikes women in their childbearing years. Right now, there is no cure for LAM, but Amy, who is a public health advocate, is dedicating her life to finding a cure for this disease. (Visit www.lamtreatmentalliance.org to read about Amy, and to make a donation to her cause if you are able.) She is an amazing woman. She has mobilized doctors, raised money, and inspired lots of people to help. I keep her picture on the bulletin board above my desk at work as a reminder of what a truly brave woman looks like.

Amy ends all of her emails with one simple word: "Onward!" It's a reminder that we should continue to cycle forward and stop worrying about the past.

I bring up Amy because I was feeling pretty cruddy today and was going to write a post about it: my caffeine withdrawal symptoms, my craziness as a result of all the hormones I am taking, my general state of tiredness. But while I was in the middle of writing my post, for some reason, I thought of Amy. I thought of Amy and all that she is up against--and how she is so supportive of me and my fertility journey in the middle of her own fight. And how she would look at me right now and say, "Onward!" Onward, indeed. Thanks, Amy, for the kick in the rear I needed today to stop feeling sorry for myself and keep on keepin' on. Onward!