Blog Readers, tomorrow we are celebrating the end of Ed's cancer treatment. I'm sharing my letter/speech of thanks for this clinic visit. We are bringing cake to mark this milestone of BEATING CANCER! I think that the medical personnel in the HEMONC clinic don't get to celebrate the successful end of treatment as often as they'd wish.
I am not a speaker. I'm a writer. I have something to say to you all, so I'm writing it out to read to you.
This is my word of thanks to all of you standing here.
It was Friday the 13th, June of 2014, after a significant battle with "tonsillitis" Ed ended up at Urgent care for antibiotics, which channeled us via Mercy Hospital ER to Children's Hospital Minneapolis.
Leukemia had been mentioned but that wasn't even on our scope of understanding. Such a foreign word. Fearful.
That Friday morning I remember Dr. Richards gently preparing us with the unwelcome news that Ed probably had leukemia.
I held on to the 15% unsureness he said he had left after 85% sureness that Ed had leukemia. It's funny how we remember these pivotal moments. I can see him sitting there in the room up on seventh floor, still dark outside after a sleepless night, his calm demeanor, and his quiet words.
A parent's heart fails. A head reels. A family quakes. It's catastrophe all at once. Heartstopping.
///
It was at that time of severe disquiet that you all stepped in with reassurance, comfort, and a life line of hope.
We all turned inward to find some strength to be able to handle the reality facing us. As people of faith I went immediately to Scripture:
Job 14:5 Seeing man's days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.
I love BBC films and in the series "Wives and Daughters" the old squire character said to a suicidal young woman -"you must live the appointed days."
I thought about that a lot, and I trusted God to give Ed his appointed days, and YOU ALL to work your chemo magic.
Ed is still here. He has lived to this day, and that is because you kindly, carefully, compassionately took care of Ed. I thank God, and I thank you.
How does a mother express her gratitude to a team of medical personnel who saves her son?
It's hard. A cake of celebration doesn't scratch the surface. I want you all to know that we are touched. We have been blessed by you, and we want you to know it.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you to all who saw Ed here in the clinic, who were with him upstairs on that difficult floor in the hospital. Thanks for the fun moments, Jodi, the Twins Games and the Shine Bright Bash, the concert... Those came at just the right moments, always, it seemed.
Thanks for making Camp Mak a Dream possible. Ed has gone twice and come back enriched.
Maybe our cancer experience wasn't as devastating as some cases you see here in the clinic, but it was ours, and we were blessed by your help and healing.
We have grown to love you too! Dr. Rawwas, your sensitive and careful manner, your expert care! You are someone we have really loved to get to know. We always had total confidence in you.
Sarah, thank you. We couldn't have done this without you.
John, your jokes and banter are the spice needed to offset chemo flavors! Thank you for your quick response when Ed slipped into anaphylaxis. You did save his life. For that we will be eternally grateful. :)
Joan, Claire, Erin (who isn't here anymore) wormed their way into our hearts. Thank you for all those many visits we had with you and choosing Ed as your patient!
Theresa, from Iowa, was there the first day in the hospital and the last day in the clinic! Thanks.
Jodi, and Sam it's been a joy to get to know you. Thanks for all you do.
Chaplain Hal, you're pretty wonderful. You and Ed hit it off, and I really treasured your time with him and with us. Cancer is a spiritual battle as well as a physical one, and I do believe the spiritual battle must be won to take on the physical one. You play a vital role.
All of you here, I mention all of you, because anytime we saw your faces you were an encouragement to all of us. Thank you.
Dr. Bostrum, thank you for being Norwegian and for dressing up like Thor. It's nice to have some solid Scandinavian humor around here, especially for those of us who grew up on it.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And this is "thanks," not good-bye!
I am not a speaker. I'm a writer. I have something to say to you all, so I'm writing it out to read to you.
This is my word of thanks to all of you standing here.
It was Friday the 13th, June of 2014, after a significant battle with "tonsillitis" Ed ended up at Urgent care for antibiotics, which channeled us via Mercy Hospital ER to Children's Hospital Minneapolis.
Leukemia had been mentioned but that wasn't even on our scope of understanding. Such a foreign word. Fearful.
That Friday morning I remember Dr. Richards gently preparing us with the unwelcome news that Ed probably had leukemia.
I held on to the 15% unsureness he said he had left after 85% sureness that Ed had leukemia. It's funny how we remember these pivotal moments. I can see him sitting there in the room up on seventh floor, still dark outside after a sleepless night, his calm demeanor, and his quiet words.
A parent's heart fails. A head reels. A family quakes. It's catastrophe all at once. Heartstopping.
///
It was at that time of severe disquiet that you all stepped in with reassurance, comfort, and a life line of hope.
We all turned inward to find some strength to be able to handle the reality facing us. As people of faith I went immediately to Scripture:
Job 14:5 Seeing man's days are determined, the number of his months are with thee, thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass.
I love BBC films and in the series "Wives and Daughters" the old squire character said to a suicidal young woman -"you must live the appointed days."
I thought about that a lot, and I trusted God to give Ed his appointed days, and YOU ALL to work your chemo magic.
Ed is still here. He has lived to this day, and that is because you kindly, carefully, compassionately took care of Ed. I thank God, and I thank you.
How does a mother express her gratitude to a team of medical personnel who saves her son?
It's hard. A cake of celebration doesn't scratch the surface. I want you all to know that we are touched. We have been blessed by you, and we want you to know it.
Thank you for everything.
Thank you to all who saw Ed here in the clinic, who were with him upstairs on that difficult floor in the hospital. Thanks for the fun moments, Jodi, the Twins Games and the Shine Bright Bash, the concert... Those came at just the right moments, always, it seemed.
Thanks for making Camp Mak a Dream possible. Ed has gone twice and come back enriched.
Maybe our cancer experience wasn't as devastating as some cases you see here in the clinic, but it was ours, and we were blessed by your help and healing.
We have grown to love you too! Dr. Rawwas, your sensitive and careful manner, your expert care! You are someone we have really loved to get to know. We always had total confidence in you.
Sarah, thank you. We couldn't have done this without you.
John, your jokes and banter are the spice needed to offset chemo flavors! Thank you for your quick response when Ed slipped into anaphylaxis. You did save his life. For that we will be eternally grateful. :)
Joan, Claire, Erin (who isn't here anymore) wormed their way into our hearts. Thank you for all those many visits we had with you and choosing Ed as your patient!
Theresa, from Iowa, was there the first day in the hospital and the last day in the clinic! Thanks.
Jodi, and Sam it's been a joy to get to know you. Thanks for all you do.
Chaplain Hal, you're pretty wonderful. You and Ed hit it off, and I really treasured your time with him and with us. Cancer is a spiritual battle as well as a physical one, and I do believe the spiritual battle must be won to take on the physical one. You play a vital role.
All of you here, I mention all of you, because anytime we saw your faces you were an encouragement to all of us. Thank you.
Dr. Bostrum, thank you for being Norwegian and for dressing up like Thor. It's nice to have some solid Scandinavian humor around here, especially for those of us who grew up on it.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
And this is "thanks," not good-bye!
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