Here is what I have to say to you, breast cancer.

Got that?

2 days ago my cousin, who is a year younger than me, found out she has breast cancer. Yesterday, she found out that it's also spread a bit to her lungs and bones. That's the bad news. The good news (via my grandma - so not very descriptive) is that it is some rare form that starts with an "r" and tends to respond well to treatment.

This cousin and I were close as close can be when we were kids. Our relationship (along with all our other cousins) is part of the reason moving to Wisconsin felt so easy to me. I want our kids to grow up with cousins their age all over the place and family nearby. Even though I had that as a kid in Oregon, now everyone has kind of scattered and are in different stages of life (or jail, if your name is Craig and you're a total douche). Anyway, when I moved to California we kind of lost touch. We picked it back up again to a minimal degree while I was stationed in Washington, but once I left there (in 2000), I honestly don't think we've spoken since. Maybe once while I was home on leave, but that was it.

Fried chicken and chocolate milk. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

I miss her. I haven't even seen pictures. I probably wouldn't recognize her if I passed by her on the street. It has always made me a little sad, but even more so now.

My family really isn't that big, but so far you've got my grandma (mom's stepmom), my great aunt (dad's aunt), and now my 29 year old cousin. I'm sure there are more too, I'm just too distant from so much of my family to know about it.

So anyway, breast cancer. F you. I mean, thanks for not being you last fall with that big friendly lump in my breast, but I'm tired of seeing you everywhere. I know a lot of my friends are seeing far too much of you too.