Audrey

In April 2013, my mom asked me if I would be willing to show an American woman of distant acquaintance around Mumbai. She was a breast cancer survivor who had shunned conventional medicine and was in India for alternative therapies. I had returned from my U.S.-Mexico trip a few weeks ago, and the deep restlessness that would eventually catapult me out of Mumbai had already begun to stir within me. 

I readily agreed and we had a very pleasant day. Sometimes you meet someone who is on the same wavelength as you, and she was one of those people. With such people, distinctions of gender, age, race and life circumstances melt away as you are able to connect on a deeper more human level. I have a number of such people in my life and I cherish them deeply, even though I am not in regular contact with many of them. That doesn't matter because when we meet again  we are immediately able to pick up from where we left off. Oh, the joy of free-flowing conversation!

She had a warmth that drew me towards her and spoke about her illness with such grace and candour that I was floored. I had no pity for her, only admiration. She was a martial arts practitioner, social activist, dog owner, and had her niece living with her, while also holding down a full-time research job in a university. Despite her health challenges, she seemed to have a full and fulfilling life.

We promised to keep in touch and wrote each other a few long emails over the following year. The last time I wrote to her was a few months before I left for Holland. I didn't receive a response and as I became occupied with the changes in my life, she slipped out of my mind.

Today, out of the blue, I thought about her and googled her to try to find out what she was up to. I found a GoFundMe page set up for her benefit. Although she was free of cancer she had other serious health complications which had compelled her to quit working a year ago. She had also lost her health insurance in the preceding year. and was paying for her health expenses out of pocket.

I felt a wave of sadness and love came over me. I might not have spent a lot of time with her but I could see that she was a gem of a person who radiated love and life. I will write to her in the next couple of days, when I have a better idea of what to say to her.