Resilience


Derya and her brother, Deniz.  Fall Semester 2013.  This was Derya’s first semester at Amherst College!  When you hear us describe Derya as Vibrant and FULL of LIFE!  This is the image that should pop into your head.  The “little” brother next to her with a sad lost face.  

Resilience doesn’t mean that you don’t have pain.  It means that you survive. You make it to the next level.  Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) said in the movie ROCKY BALBOA, that the older he got the more he had to leave behind.  This example of resilience smacks us as something we all have to learn from. As we age, we’re going to lose friends, pets, and other pieces of our life and “leave them behind”.  

And still you survive.

Yesterday, I was sitting and watching “BAD MOMS” on Amazon.  It’s a cute movie. There’s a number of lines that coincide with what I was thinking.  It’s amazing how that happens, how we can “make a connection” to something at such random times.  Probably because our brains our looking for it and wanting it – perhaps even in this case – needing it.

There’s a point where the Mila Kunis character (AMY) is down and out, the kids just left and her two friends Kristen Bell (Kiki) and Kathryn Hahn (Carla) burst into her house demanding that she get up and fight.  

The connection, Kristen Bell shouts “Mom’s don’t quit, only Dad’s do” I could disagree with that while agreeing with the sentiment of not giving up – again that Resilience pops into my head.  Kathryn Hahn then goes onto explain that the reason that Mila Kunis needs to get up and fight isn’t because of an election – It’s to get up to fight for her daughter.

And that’s when the lights came on and I made the connection.  

The Mila Kunis character saw no victory in the upcoming election and that’s why she was checked out and not even bothering to get up and go.  Yet, she got up to fight for her daughter.

And this is the CORE of RESILIENCE!  Fighting for Someone.

And that’s what Samime and I do.

Everyday.

We fight for Derya – against this disease to get her better.  

This concept of resilience has the common theme of those we’ve talked to who have fought this disease.  

What quits first? The Disease or US.

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