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'I am so blessed': Friends come out to support New Orleans historian battling brain cancer

“My photographer. My forever friend. It's her day. Right now, we would be at the Jazz Fest, but it's Wendy Fest.”

NEW ORLEANS — A long-time New Orleans Mardi Gras Indian photographer who is battling brain cancer got a surprise showing of support from neighbors, friends and musicians Sunday -- all while practicing social distancing.

Wendy Good is battling brain cancer.

Don’t be mistaken though. On this day in her New Orleans neighborhood, nothing is getting her down.

“I am incredibly blessed to find myself sitting where I am sitting,” she said.

Good, a long-time Mardi Gras Indian photographer and historian, has made countless friends over the years. But with the stay at home order, it wasn’t safe to have visitors this weekend. So, they surprised her from a safe distance.

The love came from so many.

“I am here to see my friend Wendy,” David Peters Montana, Big Chief of the Washitaw Nation, said. “My photographer. My forever friend. It's her day. Right now, we would be at the Jazz Fest, but it's Wendy Fest.”

Living up to its name, Wendy Fest even had a surprise performance from Kermit Ruffins.

“She would come every Thursday to Bullets Sports Bar. She would be the first there and the last to leave and she would always request ‘What a Wonderful World.’”

It’s what Kermit played today to bring a smile to Good’s face.

“My hear just breaks open,” she said. “Breaks open for my friends and how fortunate I am to have these friends.”

A showing of neighbors and friends with signs parading down the street. An ordinary New Orleans tradition from Good’s extraordinary friends.

“I am so blessed to have these friends,” Good said. “So blessed.”

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