Do you have a piece of clothing in your closet that is over a decade old? Maybe two decades? Did you contemplate donating it but at the last minute the sentimental value had you bury it deeper in there? Even though it no longer fit. Or the color was faded. Or the fabric was just a little frayed along the edges.
For me, this precious piece of clothing is a long linen skirt that I bought back in 2002. Moved across the country, washed so many times, packed and repacked and pushed to the darkest corner of the closet, this was the skirt that I wore to thirty sessions of radiation while I was going through treatment for my first bout with breast cancer. The skirt was my good luck charm, my happy skirt, my I’m going-to-surface-on the-other side-okay garment.
So, guess what I was doing this morning at 6:00 am, deep in my closet? Looking for that linen skirt. And I found it. And I wore it. And it fit! After a thirty-pound weight loss over the past four months, a lot of clothes now fit.
This morning, I wore it to my first ‘official’ chemo treatment.
Many of you have either been through it yourself, or you have family or friends who have gone or are going through cancer treatment, so let’s not talk about the side effects (though some of them appear to be instant and affecting me right now). Instead, let’s talk about the kindness and compassion of nurses and doctors who work in oncology and how I truly believe these people are angels on earth.
They get your name right. They have a sense of humor and make you laugh. Before walking into the treatment room, they read about you and then they ask about books and grandchildren and weekend plans. They treat you like a friend and not only a patient. At our request, they even take the time to bring in Marilou (the oncology pharmacist) so I can meet her and thank her in person.
And, of course, they say, “What a cool skirt. Where did you buy it?”
Then Jim and I come home and see all the messages and contributions and love that you have sent us during these few hours that we were gone. Here, today, we are blessed with so many more angels. Every one of you.
Thank you, friends. I’m a writer, but right now I’m a little short on words to express my gratitude for everything that you’re doing for us.
All I can say is that I’m looking forward to the day when I can fold up that skirt and tuck it away until the next battle.
Take a mental survey of your closet and tell me what’s the oldest piece in there. I’ll bet there’s sentimental value attached.