I was working in a smaller big city hospital in the outpatient oncology department many years ago. We had been giving Jim chemo for a big cancer in his brain. He made me smile every time he got off the elevator with his wife. He was over six feet tall and weighted over 250 pounds (in the beginning), and his face was a rosy color with a huge smile. He always wore bib overalls, a plaid short-sleeved flannel cotton shirt, and worn lace-up boots. Jim's wife, Belle, followed him with pride and said less than he did.
"Good morning, girls! Who wants to draw my blood today?" he beamed like it was an honor.
"I will! It's my turn. Come over here and sit in this recliner and we'll get started," I said eagerly.
The great thing was how large and giving his veins were. The scary thing was that after I got the blood in the tube, white matter rose to the top of the blood. I had never seen that before meeting him. The other nurse working there, who had been my mentor when I first starting my career, told me that it was fat in his blood. She said, "Becki, we aren't worrying about that at this point. We are just trying to slow down his tumor's growth. He knows, but he still stays positive and cheerful."
And of course she said this to me away from ear shot.
So, every week he came for his lab work and his chemotherapy for four weeks and then he would have a week off. Never once did I not see him smile getting off that elevator. But, as time passed, he quit wearing his lace-up boots and instead wore his house shoes. His overalls were hanging on him. Nonetheless, he kept showing up with his positive attitude.
He was admitted to the hospital for a blood transfusion and IV antibiotics for an infection he couldn't get rid of with oral antibiotics. I headed up the back stairs to go check on him one afternoon after we had finished seeing patients. I peeked into his room to see if he was sleeping. He turned and smiled. "Come on in here. How is everyone downstairs? Look at this mess I'm into up here. They are giving me blood in one arm and medicine in this arm and now they're wantin' to give me some drink to help me gain some strength and weight. That stuff tastes really bad! I don't think too many folk that need it are going to like it. They better come up with something a mite different." His wife grinned and shook her head.
"So, how are you feeling?" I asked as I sat on the edge of his bed and took his hand. His wife got up and excused herself to go down to the cafeteria.
"Well, to tell the truth, I'm a little concerned, but my faith is strong, and I know my Lord will see me through this, one way or the other. You can't throw your faith out the window if everything isn't going exactly like you want it to. God has never turned his back on me and I'm not turning my back on him. And, truly, I think these doctors have given me and the wife some more time. But, before I forget it, I want to tell you what a joy it has been for me to come see you girls all this time, even though it was for treating my cancer. I looked forward to every visit and getting to talk to those other patients and their families.
"The thing I want to say is this. Thank you for treating me like I was the most important patient you had every visit. Now I know you girls treat everyone of us like that. But no one but my wife has ever touched my hand with as much compassion as you girls do. Some of the kinfolk have acted like I have a contagious disease, and act like they might catch my cancer from me, if they hugged me or shook my hand. Isn't that the strangest thing? Bless their hearts. They don't know no better. Somebody ought to write a book for the public to have a better idea of how to treat their friends or neighbors or family who has cancer."
I leaned over and with as much gentleness as possible, hugged him, and kissed his flushed cheeks. He smiled from ear to ear. "Aw, Becki, thanks. Thanks for everything." I nodded and said, "No, thank you. You have been such a gift to us downstairs. You bring such positive energy everywhere you show up! You have blessed us and the other patients. God's love is beaming out of your whole body."
"Aw, Becki, shucks. Don't go on like that. It's embarrassing." He grinned from ear to ear with a brighter red face now.
We prayed together and I slowly made my way back down the stairs. I was praying that all of us would remember not to be afraid to pat a hand, touch a shoulder, give a Holy Hug when appropriate.
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