Brokenhearted

Late Wednesday night/ early Thursday morning, I helped deliver the news to three different families that each of their daughters has cancer. Each family's reaction was slightly different, but a common theme that ran through the night was one of shock and fear. Fear of pain, of death, of the unknown ... each family had so many questions. Two of the girls were old enough to understand what was going on, but the unassuming three year old and her family touched me the deepest.

As the fellow spoke and I nodded along, we explained to this family what the next few days held for certain and what the next few weeks and years possibly hold. Over the next several days, she would undergo several procedures and start a chemotherapy regimen after we completed an ID of the cancer cells. Late last night, I visited with the family as their little girl returned from her surgery and first dose of chemo. She was crying in pain from the procedure as well as from fear of the alien nasal cannula giving her the oxygen she needed. Her mom was cuddling her sweet little girl in her arms and trying her best to comfort her as her nurses hooked up her fluids and monitors. I explained to her parents why she needed the oxygen and then offered them the alternative to try a mask to give her the O2. They accepted my offer, knowing that this meant we had to remove two large adhesive patches from her cheeks. We have a solvent we use to help dissolve the glue, but it's still not a comfortable process.

My sweet patient continued to cry intermittently as her nurse removed the tape. Watching this process was difficult for me, so I can't imagine how hard it was for her parents. What almost made me cry was hearing her mom whisper to her, "Jesus will help you, my baby." Soon the tape was off, and I saw this little girl smile for the first time since I met her.

Ever since I walked out of the hospital this morning, this entire family has been on my heart. As I walked through Target this morning, I began to pray for them as I perused the aisles. My prayers later turned to myself as I asked God to use me as He will to support this family as much as I can.

For privacy reasons, I cannot disclose my patient's name, but if you read this, please pray for her and her family. God knows her name, and He is holding her in His hands.