Angels in Disguise

Over the past 13 months I've talked a lot about the people who have made a difference in my journey ... those who do their jobs well, care for patients deeply, and help make a bad situation more tolerable. I can't really say that I've run into many people who don't fit the bill and do their job with excellence. Some are just more open and outgoing about it than others, perhaps.

Yesterday I got to catch up with one of those people who was so helpful during some of my darkest days of chemo. From mid-April through Labor Day last year, I had blood draws almost every Monday. This was in preparation for a Tuesday chemo treatment to be sure that my blood counts were in a good range to indicate I could tolerate the week's treatment. Early in the process I had a person or two that really weren't the best, and I was bruised up and down both arms from multiple attempts at IV's and blood draws. I walked into the hospital lab in dread of another bad stick, more bruises and discomfort ... but instead found a person who could see what I'd been through by looking at my bruises, and she offered comfort and support, smiles and cheerfulness, and always got the blood draw accomplished with no discomfort and no bruising. She insisted that I ask for her by name each week from that point forward, and she would take good care of me. That was important when I was having 20-25 blood draws over the same number of weeks.

The last time I saw her was in September as I had my final blood draw prior to surgery. She gave me smiles, hugs, cheerful thoughts and her prayers. I went back twice in the past couple of months but was always at the lab at a time when she wasn't in, and yesterday she was in and not available to do my blood draw ... but I waited in the hallway for her on the advice of the person who did draw my blood. After a few minutes, she came out of a treatment room, took one look at me and stopped dead in her tracks. She knew it was me, even though I wasn't wearing the wig or bandana of the months where she saw me most. She told me how great I looked, gave me a big hug, and wiped tears from her eyes.

As it turns out, she's soon moving to a different clinic and I may not see her again ... so I'm very glad I took the time to wait for her and tell her how much she helped me through those chemo months. She thanked me for waiting to see her, and commented that oftentimes she doesn't get to see people after treatment, when things are better for them ... and that it was a very rewarding and emotional moment for her. Thank you, Deanna.