Partings

As Ellen observed in a previous post, today was, in fact, the last radiation session in the schedule. Something of a bittersweet occasion: Deb and I have been to the radiation facility well over thirty times (as opposed to six for the chemo center), and every time met with caring, compassion, and a high level of competence and confidence. It's a bit tough to walk away from that...

And we had a chance today to say "Goodbye" to Gene and John -- two fellow patients who travel together from southern Chester County to the facility for treatment. They were normally scheduled for radiation right before my session, but they'd almost always stay around in the waiting room area to talk with Deb while I was getting my treatment. Gentlemen of the old school. I don't know what Gene (a white guy) does or did for a living, but John is a preacher in a small African-American independent church. And John wants to continually praise the Lord and bless everyone on the planet -- in the nicest possible way. These two fellows could not be more different in so many ways, but fit together so tightly. You just had to smile when Gene and John were in the room. When we told them that today was our last session, we were congratulated with big smiles from the two of them and the warmest of handshakes. And John told us that he knew from the moment he first saw us that we were both very special people, and that he would carry memories of us in his heart. John asked us to write our names on a slip of paper, and that he would place the paper in a small model of a church which lives in his full-sized church back home. The congregation prays for everyone whose name is written down and placed in that model church. And it was a bit tough to walk away from them...

And I had a chance to put on a special juggling show for Joan, a nurse who has been especially helpful to us, but was off-duty last Friday. She was thrilled at the juggling. I was grateful for the opportunity to say "Thank you" in this special way.

After the show (notice: juggling first, talk later!), Joan gave us kind of a wrap-up talk and a chance to ask questions. She told both of us how well we had done. She said if we ever had any questions at any time about any facet of the treatment or my condition, call immediately. Joan said, "The farther away from this treatment you get, the better you're going to feel."

And Joan and the radiation doc (who chatted with us after Joan left) gave us some perspective about timing. They both said I need to think of a complete return to health -- not in terms of days or weeks, but in terms of months. In my mind's eye, I can still see Joan shaking her head and saying something along the lines of: "The punishment we've given your body over the last month and a half..."

I don't understand what any of this really means. (If anyone does, it may well be John, who tried to help us see that we're all in God's hands, and therefore perfectly safe.) But I do know that I have been to very special places -- physically and spiritually -- with people I would never have met under any other circumstances. And I am deeply enriched by the experience.