my sidekick, Dana aka "Patches"

Heather & Dana

Dana has been my sidekick in school from day 1. She is inarguably one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Her brain in a scary place full of a millions little tidbits and morsels of highly detailed information. Many days she would be bored out of her mind, because she already knew whatever the professors were talking about. Pure genious!

She was the person I could depend on to make me laugh when I needed it. Or feed me when I was hungry. Or make me study when I didn't want to. I couldn't have made it through the last 5 years without her!

This past week we went out for a girls' night after Boards Review....we went to the Raleigh rose garden and made time to "stop and smell the roses".  Neither of us have been able to do that over the last year and half. After that we went to the cutest lil' restaraunt and got fried green tomatoes and shrimp and grits. YAY to the South! LOL~It was the most fun I've had in a very long time. I needed it!

Dana was raised the same way I was, and we both know that we truly beat the odds by raising ourselves up out of poverty and making it to and finally finishing Pharmacy school. While my family was moved states away during my 3rd year of Pharmacy school, she was tending to her critically ill father who has been in the ICU 13 times over the last year. It hasn't been easy for either of us. She would always sing this song out loud when the going got tough. At times it was daily occurrence.....I miss her already....the song she sang helped me finish school.



We did it, Patches! I love you and I am so proud of you, Dana! <3