Connection is critical in cancer care. (alliteration!) Treatment is a big commitment and during the process people bond. The center becomes a second home for weeks. When patients return for follow up visits they are happy to see us even when filled with trepidation. These visits become a celebration of life.
This week was a parade of fun : Lucia speaks little English but her exuberance speaks volumes and she greets us all with a hug. She shyly reaches into her suitcase (handbag doesn’t adequately describe ) and surprises us with “chocolata” thrilled with the staff’s smiles.
Adda is out from her drama a year. She bring trinkets from a recent visit home to family in the Middle East and pretends to not understand my objection to gifts as she wraps me in her mother’s scarf with a hug. Robert is from my hometown Philadelphia and never arrives without his Phillies, Eagles or Flyers hat.
Mickey powers in like a force in full neon orange from earrings to 6″ heels fully expecting the high fives and laughter from staff. Macy embraces us all and at 89 she views her check up as an outing and loves the fuss over her. Janice delights in her many colorful and funky wigs while undergoing chemo and is always surprised and delighted by the giggles she inspires.
So many opportunities for delight far from the madding thoughts of sickness right here in the cancer center. Is it all frivolous fun? Nope! Connecting with people improves our immune systems. Caring, not just treating helps the cure. My new secretary hears the “party in the back” where the exams rooms are and says, “Dr.D, what goes on here?”
There are no delusions. We cannot rescue everyone- but we can provide a path to wellness in spirit. Connection does that. Just as I recall Sunday dinner at my parent’s house, patients should feel that we are waiting just for them- to greet them with respect, to treat them with expertise, to honor the life in them, bringing them not only into therapy but into our hearts.
The environment is as important for healing as the technology. There are so many ways to keep from taking ourselves too seriously. Make a conscious decision that illness or challenges do not have power over you. Lighten your hearts and bring others into your own party. When you are a connection to someone with cancer, you are changing their world and your own- all for the better.
Have you discovered ways to lighten your life? Please share and thank you.