The Lioness in Winter
An unusual wave of warm weather has washed over my town and although the trees are still bare, the sun is shining and the promise of spring seems near. But this has just been the beginning of some great news. On a post I made back in October, a dear friend of mine, Linda, was going through a terrible time with chemotherapy. Six treatments, so torturous, that I couldn’t bring myself to post more about them or her fight in early December to come out of a coma. We were all very, very scared, stepping on every moment carefully as if it would shatter into our last together. Linda is a writer, and a good one at that. She is also a huge giver and has shared so freely her support and motivation in my writing. Before she got sick, we spoke daily and passionately about all aspects of writing, life and friendship, but when her treatments began the focus had to be on her health and I have missed her.
I call her Lioness, as it is a name she gave herself years ago when she began writing. (Also songbird and rooster, but I don’t like them as well). It is a name of strength and courage and if ever the character of a name should fit a person, it is now. Linda called me. After treatments of chemo, blood poisoning, hair loss and struggling back from a coma, she called to tell me her cat scan came back CANCER FREE! I danced on the other end of the phone as she laughed. “Whooo Whooooo!” I cheered. “Now all we have to do is have a hair growing party!”
“Oh, you”, she giggled, knowing I liked to tease. “It will come back. It will, it will.”
‘I know it will’, I thought with certainty, and I felt the triumphant pride of a true lioness having won a terrible winter battle stretch across the long telephone line, and I was glad to have my friend back.
January 30th, 2005 at 9:12 pm
thats excellent news, glad things have started to seem brighter for you again, now you can power on into the new year full of life, i hope? like i said in a earlier post you have done so much you deserve a smile for once, this seems to be the news that has done that? goodluck and once angain thankyou for everything
February 1st, 2005 at 8:58 pm
This is the best news ever ! From our conversations, emails and blogging, I feel I know her. When you see Linda plant a kiss on her cheek and tell her it is from another cancer-free survivor and that I am so happy for her.
February 3rd, 2005 at 8:15 am
That is amazing news Im so happy to hear the cancer is gone, my father and my aunt have been having chemotherapy my aunt for Cancer and my father for other reasons..my dad is now done with his and has been told he is terminal but my aunt is fighting strong and doing good..
This news has giving me hope that I had lost months ago.
Have a blessed day and thanks for bringing a little sunshine to my day.
And again Im so happy she has beat the big “C”.
Sunshine and smiles
Kitty
February 9th, 2005 at 8:13 pm
Hi, my name is Joanne and I’m from Iceland. I had never heard of you or the Wonderland murders or any other person in the film before yesterday. I’m a Kate Bosworth fan and yesterday I saw “Wonderland” on DVD in some store and I bought it without seeing it first, just because of Kate I guess, but something else must have gotten to me about the story on the DVD because I don’t usually buy films I haven’t even seen first! And especially not when two of the main actors (Kilmer and McDermott) are two of those actors I can’t stand (sorry)!!!
But for some reason I bought it and watched it last night. I’m sorry I’m writing a whole essay here, but I just had to tell you that I was abselutely speechless at the end when the creditlist started rolling. I had no idea that those events actually happened and that you were all real people! I couldn’t take my eyes of the screen the whole film and I went to sleep thinking: “Wow those two women were so brave and strong”.
And that’s what I just wanted to tell you. You are two awesome women and I’m glad that you got off the cokain and that you are happy today. I think you really deserve it.
Sorry again for this long and boring (and most definetaly useless) comment!
Oh and p.s. I thought all the actors and actresses did a fantastic job! ALL of them;) Even Kilmer and McDermott!
February 10th, 2005 at 7:54 am
Dawn:
I recently watched the deleted scenes on the DVD and noticed that John went back to Nash’s after the murders. This was also mentioned in the E! story and by othr authors. This seems like a very important piece of the story and would have made a great “cliffhanger” or shocker ending for people to know that had Nash wanted to kill him or anyone else, he could have, but had no intention of doing so. It appears John was really just running from the cops and having to tell the truth??? Or am I wrong?? Why did they leave this out of the movie????
Charlotte
February 10th, 2005 at 10:48 am
Dawn, I haven`t read anything about the BBC piece called, “The Secret Map of Hollywood”, which covers the Wonderland murders, and was to aired in February..Can you update myself and your fans, if you can?
thank for your time
D.
February 11th, 2005 at 1:22 am
Hello to everyone and a cool hello to Iceland! How awsome to hear from someone so far away. It is interesting, the reasons we are attracted to certain things in life. The movie Wonderland for one. I will tell Mr. Kilmer politely that his work was admired by a tough critic.
Charlotte, I don’t know the answer to your question. What I do want to point out is that the movie does have creative license to expand on the truth and the director had his own distinct vision of chaos he wished to portra. Perhaps it was shot somehow to corroborate his own conclusion that John actually threw some of the death blows. Who knows. Please remember it is a film from Hollywood and as I have mentioned before, even many parts of mine and Sharon’s story were taken out and or distorted in some way for time contraints or to fullfill James Cox’ vision of the film.
Hi Dar,
I know that the Secret Map of Hollywood is only playing in Europe and will not be aired in the states. It is scheduled to be released sometime this month, but first it was October, then December, now Feb. So it remains in the hands of the BBC, I’m afraid.
Thanks to all who commented on good wishes with my friend Linda. She is doing soooo much better and has appointed herself as my writing motivator once again. We are back on track.
Blessings,
Dawn
February 27th, 2006 at 8:26 pm
Dawn, Wonderland was a great movie. It appears that John had a wonderful sense of humor (the 2nd disc and trailers) and had very few folks he trusted. You, it appears was his confidante. I remember hearing about it like it was yesterday. You actually lived it! aside from the obvious, it seems he was a great man. warm and passionate and creative. The movie depicts him being made fun of and a novelty, was that how people really treated him? In watching the 2nd disc, he was able to simply make things up at the spur of the moment, that’s amazing. Had he lived and was able to kick his addictions, what would he have been like today?
anyway, keep up the good work with your advocacy, finish our book and god bless.
Your a beautiful soul inside and out.
Cuno