other soldiers who were leaving with her husband, and the women immediately clicked. She said they have helped one another stay sane and grounded during a difficult time. Whether it is a weekend retreat to the city or a shopping trip for a day that concludes with a gathering at one of their homes, the women find comfort and support in one another’s company. They meet on Facebook, send texts and instant messages, and routinely call to chat. It’s nothing for one to travel several hours to spend the day with another, just because. “They have been truly what has gotten me through this,” Darringer said. Amy Tracy is the only other member of the Fab Seven to live in Columbus. The rest are scattered over northern Indiana. Tracy initially resisted her husband’s suggestion of getting to know the other wives but soon gave in and found their camaraderie invaluable. “It just kind of happened,” Tracy said. “It’s like God said, ‘OK, you need somebody, and they need you,’ so he just kind
Some of the members of the Fab Seven are, from left, Stephanie Bishop, Amy Tracy, Devon Moore, Darringer and Lynn Garbison
of put us together to get us through it.” The friendship the women have forged affords them an opportunity to feel normal when everything around them seems to be anything but ordinary. They have an inherent understanding where no explanation is necessary for bad days, crying spells or venting sessions. And there are no apologies.
Darringer jokes that upon her husband’s return she would like to pay tribute to their time apart. “I always tell my husband, ‘You may be in charge over there, but I outrank you here,” she said. “I told him, ‘I’m going to get a tattoo. And I am gonna have your rank and I’m gonna have a tiara over it, because that’s my rank and it outranks yours.’”
Established Patients Only, Please
CO L U M B U S M E D I C A L P H Y S I C I A N ’S P R A C T I C E O RG A N I Z AT I O N, I NC.
FAMILY PR ACTICE
Laura LaSell, FNP
Tracy Salinas, MD
Shobha Sahi, MD
Eriko Onishi, MD
Philippa Shedd, MD
Dale Guse, MD
A Tradition of Quality Care 2345 North Park Drive Columbus, IN 812-372-8293
www.columbusmed.net Monday through Friday 7:30 A.M.–5:00 P.M.
New Patients Welcome june 2010 • she magazine
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