Angels on Earth

I truly believe there are people on earth that were born to heal souls. Selfless beings whose only mission here is to bring love and healing.  I think about my doctors:  Dr. Deborah Ruark, my breast surgeon, Dr. Joussef Hanna, my oncologist, Dr. Michael Walker, my naturopath oncologist, and Dr. Peter Chen, my radiologist.   They have the burden of telling you your worst fear has been realized, that you have CANCER.  Think about it – you know the information you’re going to give someone is going to forever change their world.  You witness your patient’s reactions to facing their mortality.  They’re realizing that life has just changed drastically, that their life will never be quite the same. You’re the General leading the charge in their battle to stay alive. They look to you to help them navigate the nightmare they’re in.   You are their hope against the Big “C”.What an incredible burden to shoulder.  Yet they do so on a daily basis.

They work at removing your cancer and ensuring you have a fighting chance of it never coming back.  They know this is a tough journey and work to make it as manageable as possible.  All my doctors were extremely professional, knowledgeable and compassionate.  I never felt intimidated, disrespected, I felt cared for.

The same could be said of all the other hospital caregivers who helped me.  Theresa Russell, Dr. Ruark’s PA, Donna, Dr. Hanna’s nurse advocate, Dr. Andrew Thompson, Dr. Chen’s resident, Beverly, Dr. Chen’s radiation nurse, all my chemo nurses, James, Nancy and Melissa my radiation techs.  The list is endless.  Every single person I encountered on this journey was nothing but professional, kind and caring.  From hugs to simple things like tying my hospital gown for me, I was treated with compassion.  Everyone is in your corner, they want you to have a positive outcome.

People that choose to go into these types of careers have a special calling.    They carry the burden of someone’s life in their hands.  They see you at your most vulnerable.  They know that you’re petrified of what the future brings and work hard to give you peace.  It can be overwhelmingly emotional.  Working around cancer can be incredibly depressing, yet they show up every day working to give each patient a fighting chance.  They are selfless human beings who want to nothing but to see you succeed.  I am so thankful for each and every one of my care givers.  I'm incredibly blessed to have had them in my life.  I am here today because of all of them.  They are truly angels on earth.