Friendships Celebrated on the High Seas

Feb. 2, 2006 — -- A group of mothers came together when their sons went off to war, but not all of them came home. Two childhood friends were brought even closer when one was diagnosed with cancer. And one young mother achieved more than she thought possible with the help of her sorority sisters.

These women are among more than 300 who will take part in "Good Morning America's" "Girls' Week Out" cruise starting Sunday. All passengers aboard the Norwegian cruise ship were selected for their stories of friendship.

Heroes

The seven months that her son Matthew spent serving with the Marines in Iraq provided one of the darkest times in Rita Yost's life.

"Constant worry, tears and stress made life sometimes unbearable," Yost wrote. "I had the support of my family at home, but if it weren't for these precious friendships that I formed with the other mothers I would never had gotten through it all."

Yost bonded with nine other mothers whose sons were also serving in Iraq. While the mothers waited nervously at home, they talked about taking a trip to relax once their sons were safe in the United States. But when three of the young men -- Dustin Derga, Chris Dixon and Justin Hoffman -- died while serving their country, the plans fell apart.

Yost is hoping that they can recapture their joy and celebrate their friendship next week.

"When we are together, we feel a peace that is hard to describe," Yost wrote. "Our sons are our heroes, and these moms are my heroes."

Survivor

Leslie Johnson and Andrea Stradal have been best friends since childhood, but that friendship was tested one day with a phone call.

"I discovered what life is all about at age 20," Johnson wrote. "It was finals week at college, and my best friend called to tell me that she needed me now more than ever." Stradal, 22 at the time, had been diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's disease.

Johnson stood by Stradal as she battled the cancer and shared in the moments of joy that interrupted the pain and anxiety.

Stradal's boyfriend proposed to her the week she was diagnosed, and Stradal, now in remission, asked Johnson to be in her wedding party.

"My wish for Andrea is for her to be able to get away from it all," Johnson wrote. "She hasn't traveled since her diagnosis, and I know a week of fun with her bridal attendants would brighten her spirits and allow all of us to celebrate life."

Sisters

While her fellow high school sophomores were planning for homecoming, Shequitta Kelly was looking for day care and medical insurance for her newborn daughter.

Despite becoming a mother at 16, Kelly finished high school and went on to college.

"When I arrived on campus, I was lost and afraid," Kelly wrote. "There were countless sleepless nights. I deeply feared failing."

One group of women would not let Kelly fail -- her sorority sisters. The women became her support system, her after-hours day care, and her reality check.

With the support of her friends, Kelly graduated from college and went to law school. Today, Kelly is a lawyer and hopes her daughter, Janay, 11, will be equally blessed with invaluable dreams.

"They instill confidence in me when I am ready to throw in the towel," Kelly said of her sorority sisters. "They bring peace when the rest of the world is screaming at me."