By Jim Bishop
From the Victoria Advocate, August 20, 2003; page 2A:
Cancer, they told my little sister Helen. Breast Cancer.
It’s been almost a year ago. In fact, it was 9/11, exactly a year after Helen and all of America were devastated by the wanton acts of terrorists. Obviously, last year, the date became doubly hateful to her. And since then, she has undergone a grueling series of chemotherapy and radiation treatments in Houston, with her doctors and technicians using all their knowledge and skill to kill the cancer that had been growing inside her.
Last week, the treatments ended. And the future looks bright for Helen.
So she wanted to say thanks to all those professionals who helped her so much and made her feel good about herself in the midst of all that suffering.
“Help me, Jim,” she asked. “Help me with the words.”
I’ll try, Sis. Here goes. The words are partly mine, but the love and emotion is all yours. And oh, by the way, congratulations, and thank God.
I’ll never forget the day Dr. Trent Baker told me. He was so kind. I remember I could not hold back the tears. He told me I could stay in the room as long as I needed. He was a young man, but I would learn that his knowledge was very valuable in my case. I made the decision to have a mastectomy, and he agreed that was best. In the operating room, he was right at home. When he installed my port, and when he removed it, he had the best bedside manner.
Thank you, Dr. Baker, for all you did for me.
My goodness, I thought, here’s another young doctor, when I got my first look at Dr. Xylina Gregg, my chemotherapy oncologist. But again, she was impressively knowledgeable. She ordered the appropriate treatment, and she always followed up before each succeeding session to learn of any side effects I might have had from the previous treatment. When she believed I needed further treatment, she sent me to a radiation oncologist. It was a very scary time for me, but she knew best.
Thank you so much, Dr. Gregg.
To all the people who saved my life, thank you. I’ve been on the darkest journey of my life over the past year, but you lighted my path with your skill, your professionalism, and your caring. I could not have made it without you. And I will never forget you.
