Joanne Williams - Everyone Should Have A Friend Like Her

Everyone should have a friend like Joanne.  She has been special to me since as far back as I can remember.  She was the first I’d confided in and the first friend I’d ever brought to my home and to meet my alcoholic father.  The fact is she’s always been there.

I remember the time I needed her most, however, and she didn’t let me down.  I was nineteen and had just given birth to my son.  He was born with collapsed lungs and it was up in the air on whether he would survive.  We were both rushed to a larger medical facility and I was lost.  There is nothing to describe the empty feeling that one feels after giving birth and not being able to hold your baby.

While I felt empty and alone in my hospital bed, Joanne was home with her newborn baby.  I didn’t ask her to come as I knew it was hard for her to leave her son.  This didn’t stop her, though and the following day, Joanne was there.  She held my hand and comforted me and was there when the doctor came with news of my son.  He was doing better and the doctor wanted me to know.  I flew down to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit with Joanne by my side.  While they wouldn’t let her in to visit my son, she waited for my return.

Without Joanne, I’m not sure how I could have survived the ordeal I went through when my son was born.  For that, I will always thank her and wonder what I can ever do to repay her.