Eamon Janfada

The Best Friend of My Dreams Who Got Away

I met Nicole, the most treasured friend I have ever had in my life, at the Ronald McDonald House in Rochester, Minnesota while Nicole and I were admitted at the Mayo Clinic during the cold winter of February 2013. During those cold days she warmed my heart instantly when she approached me after our dinner had finished at the Ronald McDonald House. She broke the ice by saying “Hey, you just seem very nice and normal compared to a few here, and I’d like to get to know you.” I got that feeling you get when you feel like you’ve known that person forever instantaneously. Nicole asked me, “Do you know what POTS is?” which was her diagnosis, and for some reason, my mind went to pots and pans. Later that night when we went to our respective rooms with our parents and family, we continued to chat over text about our chronic health problems and how we dealt with them. I turned 18 during the 2 weeks our times overlapped at the Mayo Clinic; so, we were just 17 to 18-year-old teenagers who immediately had a crush on each other. We formed such a strong bond as best friends throughout our experience at Mayo’s that carried over into a complicated but beautiful friendship. Throughout the years, we did keep in touch and converse about our health battles and how we dreamed to overcome them.