Legend of the Pilgrim Woman  Mary Claire Heller

 

Legend says she was born at a garage sale; at least that’s where my friend, Donna, found her.  Pilgrim Woman was a non-descript brown and white, three-foot stuffed doll with no companion.  We decided she ditched Pilgrim Man somewhere and she was going it alone.

 

Over the years Pilgrim Woman had become a fixture in Donna’s kindergarten classroom.  Pilgrim Woman was so unattractive that coworkers began inquiring immediately after Halloween, if Pilgrim Woman would be making her yearly appearance.

 

This year might be different, however.  Donna had been diagnosed with breast cancer late in the summer and had undergone surgery.  Chemotherapy had been postponed until after her son’s wedding in October.  Donna was a remarkable woman, however, with boundless energy, creativity, and a quirky sense of humor.  Her life continued at full speed despite the illness. 

 

On the day Donna was to receive her first treatment at the Cancer Center, her husband was hospitalized.  Wanting to support our friend, Pilgrim Woman was kidnapped from Donna’s classroom. We pinned a folded pink Breast Cancer Ribbon to what might loosely be called a “chest”, quickly penned a funny note, and delivered Pilgrim Woman to the Cancer Center as a surprise.  The directions to the reception desk ladies were to have the doll waiting in the treatment room when Donna arrived.

 

The “Legend of the Pilgrim Woman” was born.

 

For each subsequent treatment, Pilgrim Woman magically appeared, dressed in all manner of hilarity.  She naturally had a rounded bottom with no legs, so one of the teachers contributed a pair of black, fish-net panty hose.  We stuffed the nylons with tissue paper, slipped it over Pilgrim Woman’s rotund bottom, and now she had legs.

 

The staff at the Cancer Center was enthusiastic and anxious to see the next metamorphosis of the Pilgrim Woman.  Over the months that followed, Pilgrim Woman emerged as Santa, an elf, lady-of-the-evening, prom queen, snowman, Minnie Pearl, and many other derivations.

 

Upon the successful completion of the series of treatments, the Pilgrim Woman was returned to Donna as a loving reminder of the support of other women friends in difficult circumstances.  Pilgrim Woman remained in the attic waiting to encourage another friend who needed a boost.

 

Pilgrim Woman has made a couple of brief cameo appearances since her original mission.  She surprised me by “standing” (via an oak hall tree), in a room at the Cancer Center when I went for ITP medication (to suppress an anti-immune illness.  Pilgrim Woman was later discovered sitting behind a desk, dressed as a red and white hornet on the first day of my new administrative assignment. 

 

Perhaps the “Legend of the Pilgrim Woman” serves only to remind each of us that we are all Pilgrims, just passing through this life with help from our friends.

 

Mary Claire Heller is a retired school principal living in Lawton, Iowa.  Mary is a wife, mother of three sons, grandmother of five, and currently a community college adult literacy volunteer.  PO Box 155 Lawton, IA 51030    email: helpriiz@netins.net