The New Me.

Thank you, @kmakm and @kitkatb. I'm sure it's been said elsewhere on this forum often that the bc experience really achieves the friend-sifting. For me with that friend, it came earlier and for another reason. But with bc, I'm so grateful for the friends who have clung to me over the past 14 months and propped me up continuously. My best male friend - in fact I describe him now as my best friend - (32 yrs) and his wife have been amazing: meals, lifts, daily phone calls and texts to check on me during chemo, hospital visits, shopping, books, videos, etc. seems to have been particularly solicitous throughout. It occurred to me a few months ago that he might be afraid that I'll die, because another male friend to whom he was very close - they'd collaborated for years on projects - died of pancreatic cancer a few years ago after having all the treatments, and it was devastating for him. It's rather sweet to think that he might fear losing me.
In June this year it will be 30 years since I chose to leave a 24-y/o marriage. After 10 yrs I had a party to celebrate 10 yrs of singledom and thank the friends who'd stood by me during that process of creating a new life for myself; and I hope to muster the energy to do it again to celebrate the 30.  :)