Some people say that having cancer turned out to be a blessing for them. They say that they are glad they had cancer because it led them to something special. I always think to myself, "Well, OK for them, but I would never think that.". There's just no way that having a deadly disease that can come back and kill you even if you think you've won can possibly be a good thing. People need to justify their world so, to make some sense out of it, they need to extract something positive out of all the negative. I understand that, but I'm not buying it! Cancer is bad! It's Bad! But... Every once in a while, I experience something wonderful that wouldn't have been possible without having had cancer.
I was in the lobby of one of the hospitals I work with when the security guard said something to me that I'll never forget. She said "You are the right person, in the right place, at the right time!"
It wasn't the main lobby of the hospital. This was a smaller lobby in a professional building on campus. I know this guard because I see Jackie (no real names!) every week. She is a very kind woman who takes it upon herself to help everyone who needs it by fetching wheelchairs, giving directions, making phone calls, coordinating some transportation issues, etc. All for the patients who visit her lobby. Jackie also knows I had cancer and saw me go from healthy, to bald and sickly, and back again to healthy. On the day she said that phrase to me there was a young woman on my PET/CT trailer, Wanda S., who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Wanda was terrified and somewhat in denial. She wasn't ready to think much about treatment. She was angry, too. Fortunately, we were not crazy busy on the trailer that day so I had the opportunity to talk to Wanda about my cancer experience. I try not to be preachy, just share some facts is all. At one point she looked at me - really looked at me - and saw a healthy, happy person and was greatly comforted. When Wanda was finished her test, she went back to Jackie's lobby to meet her friend and her sister, who had come with her that day. Wanda's relief was pretty evident. When I said goodbye, I got a big hug! That's when I turned to go back to my trailer and Jackie said "You are the right person, in the right place, at the right time.".
Of course, I cried a little. I do tend to get weepy. But I was also very happy and proud that I really helped someone that day. I'll still never say cancer was a good thing. But on that day, I was glad to have been through the battle so that I could share my story with someone who needed to hear it.
I was in the lobby of one of the hospitals I work with when the security guard said something to me that I'll never forget. She said "You are the right person, in the right place, at the right time!"
It wasn't the main lobby of the hospital. This was a smaller lobby in a professional building on campus. I know this guard because I see Jackie (no real names!) every week. She is a very kind woman who takes it upon herself to help everyone who needs it by fetching wheelchairs, giving directions, making phone calls, coordinating some transportation issues, etc. All for the patients who visit her lobby. Jackie also knows I had cancer and saw me go from healthy, to bald and sickly, and back again to healthy. On the day she said that phrase to me there was a young woman on my PET/CT trailer, Wanda S., who had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Wanda was terrified and somewhat in denial. She wasn't ready to think much about treatment. She was angry, too. Fortunately, we were not crazy busy on the trailer that day so I had the opportunity to talk to Wanda about my cancer experience. I try not to be preachy, just share some facts is all. At one point she looked at me - really looked at me - and saw a healthy, happy person and was greatly comforted. When Wanda was finished her test, she went back to Jackie's lobby to meet her friend and her sister, who had come with her that day. Wanda's relief was pretty evident. When I said goodbye, I got a big hug! That's when I turned to go back to my trailer and Jackie said "You are the right person, in the right place, at the right time.".
Of course, I cried a little. I do tend to get weepy. But I was also very happy and proud that I really helped someone that day. I'll still never say cancer was a good thing. But on that day, I was glad to have been through the battle so that I could share my story with someone who needed to hear it.
