"What can you say about a twenty-five-year-old girl who died? That she was beautiful. And Brilliant. That she loved Mozart and Bach. And the Beatles. And me."
~ Erich Segal, Love Story
Emily wasn’t 25, she was 23. And she WAS beautiful and brilliant. And she loved my brother-in-law. Like crazy.
One day when Emily was 20, she saw a tiny white bump on her leg. No big deal. Finally one day she asked her Dermatologist about it. It turned out to be a form of Cancer so rare that the National Health Institute did a study on her. She was 21 by then and every few weeks for about a year she’d make the trip from Shelby, Michigan to Bethesda, Maryland so they could monitor her and attempt to treat the disease.
In the middle of all this, she and my brother-in-law Corey took a short trip to Naples for some relaxation. Out of the car stepped this 5’7”, 127 pound gorgeous girl, tan skin with long blond hair and the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever seen. It looked like she’d been kissed by the sun, and if I didn’t know any better, she appeared to be the very picture of health. Golden girl, with a personality to match.
She was wearing a silky maxi dress that looked amazing on her lithe figure, and a credit to her age, she had a trendy colorful band wrapped around the middle of her arm that matched her outfit. I later found out the dress was to hide her legs which, by this time, had been covered in big white bumps, and the wrap was special medical tape that hid the portable IV in her vein.
While Corey was doing things in town, she came over to say hello. Realizing in the middle of the day that she had not yet eaten, I offered to make her a sandwich, but had not been to the store. I always, however, have the ingredients on hand for the “in-between sandwich.” That’s the sandwich I make myself while I’m cooking holiday dinners because it’s small, quick, and easy and you can eat it standing up while you’re stirring gravy.
It’s cheddar cheese, the juiciest tomato you have, lots of cold mayonnaise and Dijon mustard, salt and cracked black pepper, on a toasted sourdough English Muffin. And because the English Muffin is hot, the mayonnaise and the mustard get kinda liquidy, mix with the tomato juices, and run down your arm. It’s really good.
Emily and I had a great visit that day. Corey picked her up and they left for Epcot the next morning. I never saw her again. The last time she went to Bethesda, they told her there was nothing more they could do for her. She died a few months later. She was 23.
I make this sandwich for myself every holiday and always think of Emily when I do. Young, beautiful, and hopeful, as only a 23 year old girl could be.
This holiday season, please take the time to enjoy your family with a loving and grateful heart. It’s the things you have, not the things you don’t. And give yourself a big hug from me…you know I love you :)
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(WHAT YOU WILL NEED)
Tomorrow, when you're elbow deep in mashed potatoes and stuffing in the kitchen, this sandwich comes in pre-tty han-dy so you don't fall over from starvation before dinner...
1 English Muffin
1 tomato (doesn't matter what kind as long as it's ripe and juicy)
cheddar cheese
mayonnaise
dijon mustard
salt/cracked black pepper
Toast English Muffin really well so that the heat melts the cheese and condiments, and also so that the bread doesn't get soggy from the tomato
Spread both sides liberally with mayonnaise and mustard. Add cheese, then thick slices of tomato and salt and pepper on top. Close sandwich and eat.
