Dignity

I've been to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance a few times over the past two weeks.  They're trying to stop the Graft versus Host Disease that seems to be advancing. Visiting that building again brought back memories of being terribly sick, of facing dark demons and forcing myself to fight with every once of strength I could muster.  The victory was not without loss.

The strange thing is, I felt great walking into the blood draw waiting room.  Seeng the other patients brought back feelings of the tremendous care that is passed around from the staff as well as from other patients. 

I was especially struck by one lady who walked up to the front desk to check in. She was bald but wore a cap. She had all the signs of a cancer patient who was in pain. Her step was slow with determination. She had every right to wonder why she was struck with such a miserable disease and to believe her suffering was an unfair attack on her soul.  Seeing her made me selfishly think of my own agony a few months earlier.  Then she blew my mind as she approached the desk. 

She raised her head, gave a big smile and said "Hi Robert. How was your weekend?"  She pushed him to tell her all about it.  Not once did she dwell on herself or mention how she was doing.  She kept the smile going throughout the conversation, then with the utmost dignity, she painfully walked to her seat and waited for her turn.  That's the spirit of a healthy person, illness or not.