After a lovely day touring MD Anderson, CJ and I set out for Oklahoma City to visit OMRF and Stephenson Cancer Center. We had mapped a plan that took us to see a supporter in Waco, but that didn’t pan out so we had a little extra time in the Dallas area. I had the idea to stop and see the folks at Gas Monkey Garage. If you’re not familiar, it’s a high-end automotive restoration business that’s the premise of the reality television show, “Fast N Loud”.
Although the film crew was away for break (just our luck), their no-nonsense shop manager, Christie Brimberry, who has an intricate part on the show, was there and willing to talk to us and pose for a few photos. Christie was simply amazing! She was kind and gracious, and before we could even get out of the parking lot, she had posted our photos to her personal social media, as well as the business pages, which in turn, sky rocketed our social media presence. It’s always heart warming to meet someone like Christie who take time and interest in the METAvivor mission. Thank you Gas Monkey Garage!
The METAvivor van was again on the road, making way for Plano, TX to meet another supporter and metavivor for dinner, Abbey Rapoport. She was intelligibly delightful, and although we were only able to spend about three hours with her, there is always a deep connection formed when metastatic patients come together. There are certain things about our disease that only others who experience it will know and understand, and I was happy to talk openly and share our stories. I hope to know dear Abbey for many, many more years.
Gayle Sulik is the author of “Pink Ribbon Blues”, and if you haven’t read it, you need to! She was the focus of our next stop in Denton, TX. We met Gail, also joined by Carrie Corey, for breakfast to chat, discuss the nature of the PINK community, and brain storm how she and METAvivor can work in step to bring awareness to “pink washing” and the spread of blatant misinformation. To my surprise, Gail is not metastatic, nor has she ever experienced cancer, however she continues to stand with us and advocate for the Breast Cancer community. That puts Gayle Sulik in the #fearlessfriend category!! Carrie, however, is part of the “club”.
Deciding that we had better head for our destination before the impending weather hit, CJ, Gayle, Carrie, and I decided to part ways, but not before hugs and selfies. Again, there was an instant connection with these women and it was like parting company with old friends. On the highway, making our way to OKC, the storm clouds looked ominous, but we pressed on. My copilot, CJ, kept watch over the weather radar and we raced north to the city as a large storm approached from the southwest. We would stay ahead of the storm, but not by much.
The sky was dark and rain drops had began to fall from the sky as we valeted the META-mobile and checked into the OKC Sheraton. Not long after getting settled into our rooms, we discovered that the storm system was producing tornados and heading in our direction. CJ and I packed our necessities into backpacks and went to the lobby to watch the weather coverage on the local news… and to be nearer to the basement stairs. After an hour or so, the wind and rain seemed to calm. The storm appeared to have stayed to the south and bypassed the city, so we decided to walk three blocks for dinner. That was a mistake.
What would have otherwise been a short walk to Brick Town, seemed to take forever. The rain had started to pour buckets again and we were soaked to the bone when we finally climbed to the stairs to the entry way of the restaurant. Shaking off the cold, we ordered drinks and attempted to fry off. Just as we ordered our food, we overhear a waitress saying there were tornado sirens going off and that she and her family were heading to the cellar. CJ and I promptly followed her.
Downstairs, we found it to be actually quite comfortable. There were nice leather chairs left over from previous tenants, or possibly a remodel, and a few tables and other decorative items that had been stored away. Most of all, it was safe and warm, and I was fine to hold up there for a while. I continued to monitor the weather by streaming local coverage on my cell phone. The meteorologist reported record breaking floods in the city and the tornados that were touching down only blocks away.
Soon, a waiter appeared with a tray of food and served us our meal there below the ground floor. We were then joined by the remaining patrons as the danger grew even closer and we dined in the company of strangers under the city. I’m unsure how much time had passed, long enough to clear our plates and make a few new friends, but we finally emerged from our underground shelter. We all gathered around the TV to see the weather reports. It seemed there was another break in the storm and the kind woman we had chatted with before offered us a ride back to our hotel, and we excepted.
The sun was shining brightly the next morning and I was sure glad to see it. The previous night had been all the excitement I could withstand and I was happy to spend the next few, and uneventful, hours resting in the car as we drove towards Topeka.
