I am revisiting this column that originally ran in the spring of 2013. There has been an incredible amount of loss in our community over the past few months. This was written when I was younger and it was one of the first times I had experienced the death of someone my own age.
A recent CBS News poll showed that many Americans think there will be a cure for cancer within their lifetimes.
It is hard to be hopeful after attending the funeral for my 40-year-old friend, Kelly. She died last week after a nine-year struggle with a rare form of cancer called FHC (fibrolamellar hepatocellular carcinoma). Her cancer diagnosis was so severe that in 2006, doctors told her she had just six months to live. Yet, she defiantly fought this disease until just a few weeks ago by living as she wished and experiencing all the things she’d ever wanted to do.
Clinical trials, chemotherapy, radiation, and treatments in Texas and New York followed, but in April, the doctors told her there was nothing more they could do – Kelly’s tumors were growing, and hospice would be taking care of her.
Kelly Langford was the hub of a friendship wheel, if you will – she was the one who organized a peer group and was, in many ways, the leader of the “pack”. Becoming friends with Kelly was like joining a secret society, or perhaps the Mafia. Once you were in, you were in.
Strangely enough, Kelly had many Tallassee connections despite being from Bessemer. Her best friends were David Lawrence and Sallie Knight – who is married to Ed Lawrence. Beth Barber Herren and Missy Smith Waldrop were in Sigma Alpha Iota with Kelly. I dated Kelly once upon a time. Finally, she was serving as President of the Troy University Band Alumni Association, and had served with Scott Erb for the first part of her term. She talked me into running for President-Elect, and I won, so we looked forward to working together for the next few years. Sadly, it was not to be.
David Lawrence and I were chosen to eulogize our friend. David gave a powerful testimony of Kelly’s last days, sharing Bible verses and the victory in Jesus Kelly was now experiencing. I took a more humorous approach and told lighthearted stories and favorite memories. In the end, a band played at the graveside – and her father, a professional drummer, joined in as we bade farewell to our friend.
Hundreds attended the visitation and funeral. She was lucky to have made such an impression on so many people. I have never attended a funeral like hers. She said she wanted it to be unforgettable, and it wasWhile I have known plenty of people who suffered from cancer, most of them were older than me and certainly weren’t in my peer group. Not any more.
Michael Bird is a music teacher for Tallassee City Schools and co-hosts “The Saturday Morning Show with Michael Bird and Scott Adcock” on 580 WACQ and FM 98.5.
