Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines

PATIENT PATIENTS
(And other life stories)
by 
                            Louise Dubrule

This article could have been called “Profiles in Courage” but JFK used that. “Courage Under Fire” would have been fitting but that went for a movie. It doesn’t really matter.

For the last year and a half, I’ve watched my husband battle bladder cancer and recover from a triple bypass surgery. Then we learned about myelodysplasia. That has led to 57 transfusions and thirty-five days of chemo with all the expected side effects. Through it all, he’s remained the same man I married nearly fifty years ago: strong, funny, determined to give life his all.

For these last sixteen months, my husband and I have spent an inordinate amount of time in a place called the adult infusion clinic on the oncology floor of the hospital. During the too-frequent visits to the clinic, we’ve met many people who have inspired us with their quiet courage and we draw strength from them.

We recently lost our biggest hero. When Rick was diagnosed and given bad news, he offered his wife a ticket to leave so she wouldn’t have to be a part of the suffering. As you might expect, Judy stayed by his side and was his rock in the storm. For eight years, Rick endured chemo, transfusions, and other unpleasant treatments, and during that time he stayed at the helm of his business holdings until just a week before his passing. He came in for whatever infusion was scheduled and he did paperwork or quietly conducted business on his cell phone during the sessions. He remained casual as if he were getting a shoeshine instead of life-saving medication. We remember him for his sense of humor and dignity, even when the blood bank didn’t have his blood type available for transfusion.

Jane had everything: her husband was a prominent doctor, and their children were respected professionals in the teaching and medical fields. Then her beloved husband died during surgery. A daughter contracted meningitis and became essentially disabled. Jane developed peripheral artery disease and lost a leg below the knee, as well as a toe or two on the other foot. Jane could have just curled up and lost hope. Instead, we saw her come in every day for IV infusions after sessions in the hyperbaric chamber, and we began to talk. One day she announced that she was being fitted for a prosthetic leg, and to my surprise she was open and excited about discussing the process. She found someone to make her a prosthesis that would very closely match her remaining leg, even to a complete foot. “I’ll even be able to paint the toenails,” she exclaimed. Sure enough, this March she appeared in the clinic: well coiffed, dressed in a becoming pink outfit...and upright on two legs. She moved so well that I was hard-pressed to remember which limb was which. An infection has developed in one toe and she is determined to beat it, even if it means daily IV antibiotics. She’s come too far to give up now.

For six weeks, Ed was the first to arrive at the clinic, even before the operating hours officially began. He had had surgery on his back and a serious infection had set in. During the infusions, Ed sat quietly, head bowed, wrapped in his pain. He let activity swirl around him while he concentrated on holding himself together. Through his daughter who accompanied him to the clinic, we learned that Ed was a full-blooded Eskimo from Alaska. During his working years, he had been a master painter and finishing carpenter, working rings around his fellow laborers who were often much younger. In fact, they called him “Fast Eddy.” Ed smiled when Colleen told this story, and said “That’s when I was young. Now I’m just half-fast.” He also volunteered that his favorite food in the world was sun-dried salmon. Happily, Ed recovered and was able to go back to his bachelor home.

There are so many other people we have become fond of. There was Mrs. Walker who fought a brave battle against advanced liver cancer, and I cherish a photo of her and her dazzling smile. Joe was the victim of a freak accident that led to a bad infection in a foot, and we teased him about his absolute fear of needles, even when they weren’t aimed at him. Mr. Lee gets along with the familiar steel rod for an artificial leg. His goes nearly to the hip, and he was so active that he broke the first one and needed a replacement. We chat with Veronique and admire pictures of her twin girls while she spends a couple of long days each week at the clinic for necessary treatment. We hold good thoughts for a lady who will be getting a bone marrow transplant soon, for we saw a gentleman whose stem cell transplant was a total success.

Interesting stories come from health professionals, too. We met a beautiful young lady, a nutritionist specializing in cancer patients. Originally from India, she arrived in El Paso via St. Louis, Missouri, where she was working on her second Master’s Degree. She had a slight speech problem, and then we noticed the hearing aids. They explained why she spoke a little differently. To her, that was just an annoyance and it didn’t prevent her from continuing her education...or getting engaged very recently.

There is the young doctor with the charming accent who divulged that his home was in Prague. He had received a fellowship to finish his residency in preventative medicine in the United States, and here he is on the Texas-Mexico border, where his specialty is sorely needed.

Except for my husband, none of these people has French-Canadian ancestors. But like our ancestors they have faced great odds to overcome adversity and have come from far away to make new lives. We are not so different after all.

 

Késsinnimek - Roots - Racines
Copyright © 2003 & 2004 & 2005 & 2006 Norm Léveillée
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Created 1 Feb 2003