A blog entry written by a friend:

I often forget that of the hundreds and thousands of eyes that come upon this site, most have probably not met Michelle in person. I have the fortune of calling Michelle and Van my friends and I’m lucky enough to get to hang out with this awesome duo every so often. And although you haven’t had a chance to meet them in person, you’ve grown to know them through this website. I asked Michelle if I could write a quick blog to provide you a glimpse into her life. I imagine it to be exhausting for such an unselfish person like Michelle to constantly write about herself, so when I asked, she complied.

I visited Michelle recently at her mom’s house and she looked like, well, Michelle (minus some hair). I was expecting a physically and emotionally exhausted cancer patient and instead, I found my buddy Michelle, the same Michelle I’ve known for years, sitting on her bed, relaxed and laughing at the absurdity of a reality show on TV. I didn’t know what to expect myself and admit that my own emotional fragility made me apprehensive about seeing my friend in her relapsed state.

Michelle is surrounded by a variety of bags and plates of food, her sister Melanie and Kevin, Marshawn, and her mom. Amidst the scene, her mom frequently pops in to make sure everyone, especially Michelle, is fed and comfortable. Everyone is paying an absurd amount of attention to little Marshawn, and soon I join the fray. Before this leukemia business decided to lurk into her life, I would come over to Michelle and Van’s apartment to mooch off of their DVR, and would find them lounging on their couches, watching their favorite shows, munching on snacks, (recently) teaching Marshawn new tricks and providing their blunt commentary. This visit was no different, except that Van was away for a buddy’s wedding.

So on to the objective of this blog entry: what do you not know about Michelle? Well, Michelle is blunt. She’ll always tell you like it is. And it happens to be that I’ve been traveling a lot lately, so she comments, “You look tired. You have bags under your eyes.” To which I reply, “You’re totally right. I’ve been working a lot lately”. To vouch for her bluntness, I really have been looking like crap lately.

Michelle has sharp taste buds. Her tongue and nose have always been able to discern the subtle nuances in food. She can tell you what spices are in what, what’s too rich, what’s just right and Yelp about it immediately. The chemo has thrown her epithelium amok, and despite her previous hatred of rich, creamy foods, she explains to me that she often finds herself craving those very things. Ironically, she no longer craves the Vietnamese food that she and I can often talk on and on about. So of course, I enjoy a bowl of pho made by her mom right in front of her and she tries not to smell it and become nauseous.

As the minutes go by, I find myself completely at ease with Michelle. Another thing you don’t know about her, but she’s one of the most even-keeled people I know. She takes on challenges as easily as walking down the street. Chinese drink made of herbs (it’s not as pleasant as it sounds…it’s black, thick and really pungent), no problem! She quickly drinks it before my eyes. I take a sip and nearly hurl.

I wouldn’t feign to understand what emotional and mental exercises she must go through daily, but what I do know is that from the ups and downs, she continues to handle it in her own way. I guess the best way to describe this is that she’s seems to be at peace with herself. She simply exudes this in every way. Michelle manages to take my apprehension about her relapse, my concerns, my worries, all of my anxieties and tuck them away neatly somewhere in my full tummy of beef and noodles. I simply indulge in hanging out with my buddy, not my buddy with cancer, on a warm California night.

We talk about a broad range of trivial topics in between scatterings of discussions of the melodramatic things that plague the life of 20-somethings…the meaning of life, relationships (or a lack thereof), careers. The minutes prove to be an unrelenting force and I can see Michelle’s eyes get heavier. It’s about that time to say goodbye.

She walks me downstairs and I give her an obligatory noogie on her soft head. The door shuts behind me, I sit in my rental and immediately realize how much I enjoy hanging out with Michelle in the most ordinary of circumstances. This is exactly why Michelle has her legions of fans: from the most complex situations to the most ordinary circumstances, she somehow manages to make every moment she shares with you extraordinary. I can’t help but feel a sense of happiness and warmth as I drive away.