Last night we celebrated the life of Madeline Kimmel, who passed to the other side one year ago. Since things generally come in “threes”, that was also the time that I was diagnosed with breast cancer and Cathy Kimmel (Madeline’s daughter and Annie’s sister) was diagnosed with colon cancer. I flew out to Asheville post-surgery/pre-chemo to support Annie and Cathy and mourn the loss of Madeline.
Fast forward (if you can even call it that) one year, and I am one chemo treatment away from being done. Once again, I flew out to Asheville, this time with a much happier mission in mind. Annie had coordinated an elegant cocktail party at a trendy art gallery in Asheville to commemorate Madeline’s generous bequest to the American Cancer Society. It was an evening befitting Madeline and her creative, flambuoyant style. We joined the ACS in a toast to finding a cure for cancer in our lifetime. Amen to that.
And on a more frivolous note, Annie took me to her salon yesterday afternoon before the party, where the marvelously artistic Guadelupe transformed my post-chemo mess of wonky hair into a stylized “do” that looks au courant and intentional. My first hair cut in over a year, if you don’t count the shaving of my head when handfuls of hair began to fall. And then there was the playful fashion show of which dress to wear with which shoes and the all-important accessories. We were college girls again, giggling and sipping wine, enjoying the moment as we did so many years (dare I say decades?!) ago. Despite my aching bones and metallic mouth, it was a glorious day…
Oct. 25, 2013
Judy Richter 