Saturday narrative

Instead of the typical Continental breakfast provided by the hotel, Deb was craving a Chic-fil-a sausage biscuit this morning. I take appetite and food craving as a healthy sign! So, off I went on the hotel shuttle to Chic-fil-a to fetch the desired biscuit. Then off to the cancer clinic for labs and whatever concoctions they came up with. We settled in as we visited with various classmates and celebrated each one's victories in this terrible warfare.

In a short while a new patient came into the waiting area and settled a few seats over from Deb. This patient was mask-less and coughing and wheezing unlike any other patient we'd ever seen here. I quickly relocated us on the opposite wall and prayed no germs would make it to Deb who is trying to rebuild her immune system.

Soon we were called back into the clinic for the daily routine of weight, blood pressures sitting and standing, oxygen levels, etc. Then Deb settled into the chemo chair for the routine. After she was hooked up to an IV, guess who was brought in and seated next to her? Yep, the cougher!

I quickly whispered to the nurse that I wanted to speak to her around the corner. She followed and I told her that Deb was still very low on white count and was trying so hard to get up to the point of going home a few weeks and would she please see if one of could be moved somewhere else. She went to check on the cougher and then came back to tell us that she was not a myeloma patient, but was suffering from lung and throat cancer and could not swallow. She was with us because her clinic was closed for the weekend and she needed chemo today. Now knowing our fears for Deb were not as serious as thought; we instead begin praying for this poor unfortunate and lonely woman next to us.
She was too sick for us to even talk to. There are folks suffering like her in every hospital in the world.
Never take your health for granted! It is a blessing!