The day started off like most days but we knew it would be different. Les would be going back to the apartment later this night alone as I began my one month journey in the hospital. It was a tearful good night.
I met an interesting young lady who was about to draw some blood from me this morning. She ask me the perfunctory ,"how yall doing this morning?" I replied with my common, "fine" & followed by asking her how she was. She replied, "I feel blessed and highly favored". She caught me off guard, "blessed & highly favored". How did I really feel? I asked myself that question all day long.
Barry Bonds must be feeling very good this evening. He finally hit home run number 756 to pass the great Hank Aaron. Yep, I'd say Barry feels pretty good this evening. Blessed & highly favored, perhaps. How about the young guy who ended up with Barry's home run ball? I looked on the Internet for his name but couldn't find it. I'm real sure he feels blessed and highly favored, not to mention, bruised. Today we met a nice young lady named Tasha. I can't remember how she was feeling but she seemed very happy. She smiled and laughed as she shaved my head. At that time I surely did not feel blessed or favored. I felt like I was forced to join a club to which I didn't want to belong; bald headed, unattractive, fat, cancer persons club. Angry not blessed or favored!
Les & I hit the wall. It was no longer tomorrow or next week that I'd be entering the hospital, it was now, we got the call. "please arrive by 6:30 to be admitted to the hospital." Didn't feel blessed or favored. We showed up, was greeting by a fellow who said my room would be G1154. "Take the paperwork, take elevator F up to the 11th floor, & find the room." We did & were greeted by a nice friendly nurse. She spend 20 minutes with us answering questions & giving us the lowdown. She told me that an IV would be attached to my IV pole and me until I left the hospital in a month's time. Surely she misspoke, 4 months of straight IV? Yep, we heard her correctly. Wasn't feeling blessed or favored. We were feeling picked on! I sit hear now with two bags hung and dripping and wearing latex gloves.
It was a tearful good night. Les and I made a serious dent in the new clean, germ free, box of tissues. Still not feeling blessed or favored.
Les called me when she got back to the apartment. How sweet and wonderful her voice sounded. Afterwards I thought about being at the best cancer center in the world and how for the next 30 days the nurses and docs were going to fight, tooth and nail, to give me a second chance at life. I was beginning to feel a bit better. Then I checked my email and I noticed a message from an old friend from church, from a person I have never received an email from before tonight. It was a warm email as you would guess having comments about Texas, settling in, and thought & prayers being with us. Then he concluded with a passage from Isaiah 40:31
"But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Do I feel blessed & favored, not yet. But I know that we are!
A little house keeping before I sign off for the night. Please do not send flowers. They are not permitted & will be refused at the door. My room number again is G1154. The mailing address is:
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd.
Houston, TX 77030
My room phone number at this time & it may change is: 713-834-9178. Remember, we are 1 hour behind you which means to me, when it is 1pm EST in Albany, it is Noon here in Houston. Your thoughts, good wishes,& words along with your prayers will help Leslie & I feel connected and strengthen. I'm beginning to feel blessed & highly favored even though I know we are.
Stan
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Hi Stan,
I actually read your post after
the one I just responded to that Les wrote...if all that makes any sense.
Anyway, just keep in the back of your mind for those really bad times...like the one you describe here....that in Troy, NY and Wallingford,PA you have many prayers with you.
I suspect that might hold little weight when your arm has a needle in it and your outfit has no back end to it, but then again, that might be just the time that thought comes in most handy.
It's not "when" anymore, it's "now" and soon enough it'll be "then."
There's light at the end of the tunnel.
Talk to you soon, if my responses don't keep going bye bye.
Post a Comment