Not our choice

I spent this afternoon with a young woman I met while in chemo. She called me late last night to tell me she was in the hospital due to respiratory problems. I could hear in her voice last night she just needed someone to talk to. I went to the hospital to see her this afternoon. She was so delighted to see a visitor, someone to relate to, someone to talk with. She and her family have basically nothing and earn below poverty level. She has struggled to balance health and home, but health is slowly deteriorating. Heartbreaking.

The smile that came to her face when she saw me was like no other. It seemed as if a twinkle of hope sparked her from within. The realization of cancer is it does not matter what you do for a living, what you earn, how you live...all fears are the same. As a mother, we want our children to be cared for. As a spouse, we want our spouses to know we appreciate all they do while we are feeling ill. As a patient, we want to know we are going to be in good hands of doctors. I thank the wonderful nun that came to visit her today. Sister Gabriella has a family that will be adopting her family over the holiday season. God has worked miracles again. I hope he can work a miracle for her recovery.

On my drive home today, I planned on contacting a woman I met at the Look Good Feel Better Class. Karla is an amazing woman. She and I were at the opposite ends of the spectrum when it came to hair, but her determination and humor kept her going. I wish we had more opportunities to meet, but our surgical/chemo schedules left them to phone conversations.

I got home today, unloaded my stuff, played the answering machine, dug for my phonebook to call Karla. On my machine was a message from her husband, letting me know the cancer spread to her liver. My heart dropped. I sat down and realized this is not our choice of illness, but it is our choice to survive. I pray for her treatment to be successfull.