Jameson Hospital
New Castle, PA
September 7, 1:15 p.m.
One of the tests I needed at the beginning of chemo and every three months during chemo was an echocardiogram. The cardiac sonographer who did my first one in June had a terrible time getting good pictures because of the “hardware” left in my body by the plastic surgeon until the next surgery. The sonographer had to inject me with dye to get a contrast and still wasn’t happy with the results. So I felt really bad for whoever got stuck with doing my sonogram on September 7!
We had arrived at the Jameson Hospital the day of my appointment, and I had just returned from the bathroom when the sonographer came to the waiting room to get me. I said, “Just in the nick of time,” meaning I barely got back from the bathroom in time, but he pretended to think I was getting ready to leave before he could do my sonogram!
I laughed and said, “If I was leaving, it was only because I felt so bad about you getting stuck with doing this sonogram. The last person who did an echo on me had a terrible time.”
“I saw that on the report.” He grinned. “I think I’m just going to escort you back to the waiting room and see if I can get a shorter straw!”
I couldn’t help laughing but begged him not to do that since I couldn’t have any more chemo until I had this test.
Mr. R. left while I prepared for the sonogram, and when he returned, the 45 minutes or so that followed were amazing. I can’t tell you how we got to the subjects we discssed, but I kept thinking, This guy is a Christian! He told me he and his wife were high school sweethearts and had been married 36 years. He said, “We fight just like everyone else does, but at the end of the day, I want to be home with my wife and kids. I want to put my kids to bed, read stories to them, and pray with them.”
Then he told me about a time when finances were tough, and he got lured into a job where he would make big money and was told he’d only be gone from home two nights a week. “That’s where I learned about the lifestyle of corporate executives.”
One night while he was in training, he missed his family and called his wife. “I have this huge executive suite. Why don’t you pack up the kids and bring them here tomorrow and spend the weekend with me?” She said, “I can’t take the kids out of school,” but he said, “They’re little and it won’t hurt them to miss a day.” Eventually, she said she would think about it.
The next day, one of his bosses came to the room where he was having training and called him out. Mr. R said by the somber look on his boss’s face, he thought someone is his family had died! His boss said, in a dark tone, “Your wife is here.” Mr. R said, “Oh did she come?” Then his boss said in an even darker voice, “She wants to go to your room!” Mr. R said, “No problem, I can go let her in.”
Standing at a distance he could see his wife and children waving at him. As the corporate executive continued, Mr. R finally realized his boss thought he might have a mistress in his room and it would be a big problem to take his family there.
As Mr. R realized what was going on, he knew this wasn’t the life style he wanted. Later, he discovered he had been lied to about how many nights he would be gone from home. He decided the money he’d earn would not be worth what the lifestyle would cost him and his family.
I begin to weep as I listened and finally said, “I’m so glad to hear a story that had a different ending.” I told him about our son getting involved with the furniture liquidation business and how it had changed him and what it had cost his wife and children. Mr. R started to say something and then choked up.
Finally, he said, “I happen to believe that if God sees fit to give us children, He will hold us accountable.”
Later, Mr. R. walked over and looked at the pictures he’d gotten and said, “By the way, I got very good pictures and I’m not going to have to inject you today.”
“Are we done?” I was amazed because I thought it had taken much longer last time. When he said, “Yes,” I said, “Praise the Lord!”
He smiled and said, “He had a lot to do with it!”
Then Mr. R. walked to the door and said, “You’re my last patient of the day. “ And just as I opened my mouth to say, “You were a blessing…” he said, “You were my blessing.” We both knew we’d been given a special gift. The pictures were good and I learned the next day, within the ranges needed for me to finish my chemo.
Ruby Tuesdays
New Castle, PA
September 7, 2:30
Donn and I left Jameson Hospital to go to Ruby Tuesdays, as we often do when we’re in New Castle, to take advantage of their Buy One Entrée, Get One Entrée for $3. Our waiter was new to us and, by his appearance, probably not someone we would have promptly assumed to be a Christian.
At the end of the meal when our waiter came to get our coupon number, I found myself telling him about the lady who’d given us a Ruby Tuesday gift card she said had $13 or $14 on it because they were moving to a place that didn’t have a Ruby Tuesday. I told him how the waitress came back and said, “When I put the gift card into the machine, everything disappeared, so it’s free!”
Our waiter looked at us for a moment, and then said the last words we expected to come out of his mouth, “Well, God works in mysterious ways sometimes.”
I was so surprised but said, “You are absolutely right! So many bad things had happened that I’d just asked God, “Have we done something to offend you?” But when this happened, the dark cloud lifted and I just felt like, We’re okay here!
Once more I felt we’d been given something very special so unexpectedly.
When we went to Ruby Tuesday again after my last chemo treatment on September 12, I wanted to tell them what a blessing their meals had been to us during this time.
When I explained the situation to the hostess I’d never seen before, she was immediately sympathetic and said, “If you’ll give me your name, I’ll put you on my prayer list.” I was so startled, but I immediately complied, remembering the time we’d offered to pray for a waitress at another Ruby Tuesday but never expecting to receive that offer here.
When our waiter, a tall black man we’d never seen before, brought our check, I tried to convey to him what a blessing they’d been to us during my chemo. He just kept saying, “God bless you! God bless you!” probably at least five times before we left the restaurant. I was in awe of the blessings being showered on us at this place.
. Thank you, Father, for the unexpected blessings you have for us in the most unexpected places! Amen.
Health Update
My heart palpitations have almost disappeared since they decreased my steroid tablets but I’ve been told I should still go ahead with the heart monitor which I’ll be given next week. My sleep has also improved somewhat, but I’m glad to be finished with the steroids, both the tablets and the ones I was given in my “chemo cocktail.”
September 12 was my last chemo treatment and next week (September 19) I’ll begin my targeted treatments at Hillman Cancer Center. This blog has gotten too long, but next week I’ll tell you about my appointment with my oncologist on September 12, the last chemo treatment that followed in the POD, as well as what is ahead.