My friend, Mona called the other day to say she was in town and would like to get together. Mona and I go back almost 30 years, when we helped each other nurse broken hearts and struggled to find our place in the world. When Norman and I moved to Westchester five years ago, I was comforted to know Mona lived nearby in New Rochelle. I had fantasies of us and frequenting garage sales and thrift shops to find a few rare treasures to compliment my 70 year old home. Of course life got in the way and we settled on getting together for birthdays, holidays and the occasional lunch. Fed up with the high cost of living in New York, Mona headed for the hills of Virginia last year. Always supportive of my efforts, I was delighted to think how proud she would be when I told her I was participating in the Avon Breast Cancer Walk. And then I remembered, Mona is a breast cancer survivor.

