Too Close for Comfort

Funny how I read about stuff that happens to other people, but it doesn't seem really real until it happens to someone I know. Today the news headlines say that Robin Roberts, the news anchor, has breast cancer. Robin Roberts is my "I knew her when..." celebrity. We lived down the street from each other in Turkey and were in the same second grade class. We lived in the same housing area in Biloxi and were in the same fifth grade class. She was smarter than I was--or at least harder working. Our dads were both in the Air Force, both retired from Keesler and when her dad died a few years ago, my parents attended his funeral. In short, while I'm sure she probably wouldn't recognize me, though she did tell my parents at the funeral that she remembered me, she's a real person to me and not just a face on TV like most celebrities are. I've known other women who got breast cancer, but they were old. Robin was a classmate. Guess I need to be careful with those exams.