The other day I had a follow-up doctor's appointment at the Lahey Clinic. I recently have been having some discomfort in the area where I had surgery for cancer almost 5 years ago. It's probably only a muscle strain but my imagination is good at turning aches and pains into horrors worse than what Stephen King could ever create.
I parked the car on the top floor of the parking garage, raced down the stairs for the exercise rather than taking the elevator (multi-tasking whenever I can), I scurried through the hospital past wheel chairs, I grabbed glimpses through open doors of patients on gurneys and on I went to the Urology Dept. where I checked in. While waiting for the nurse to call me to discuss my fate my mind just kept creating all sorts of horrors like; thinking yes the big C is back and it has spread everywhere even into my toenails (I have a hangnail). Across from where I was sitting was a pleasant in appearance mid-30s fellow in a wheel chair. I noticed how he nimbly maneuvered his wheel chair about, how cleverly he stowed his canvas bag with his book on the wheel chair and how he seemed in a way to be well adapted and at peace with his wheel chair.
The nurse called me and escorted me to an examining room where she did the usual 3rd degree.. when was I born? allegies? etc.? etc.? Then she left me and my imagination alone in the examining room. Oh Yes! now my wild imagination has me thinking I need to update my Will, I need to make sure there's someone to take care of my dog after I pass away.......
The examining room door opens, there in a bright white lab coat is my doctor. We greet and quickly get down to business. I tell him about my aches and pains. He suggests I may have a muscle strain or perhaps a mild infection. However, based on all the tests I've had over the past 4 years and 11 months that it is relatively safe to say I have beaten the big C and what is bothering me doesn't appear to be a major problem. He suggested I lay off the spicy foods and coffee and that my ills will likely go away.
With that news I took a sigh of relief, thanked the doctor and rushed back to my car to get back to real estate work. As I approached the foot of the parking lot stairs I noticed the fellow from the reception area in the wheel chair waiting for the elevator. I ran up the four flights of stairs to the top landing where the elevator door opens and there was the fellow in the wheel chair again. He reached the big heavy glass doors leading out to the lot before I did. I asked him if he'd like some help to maneuver through the doors. He said no but you could give me some help in a minute. I said sure...while wondering what he wanted me to do I followed him out in the parking lot. He wheeled up to a black van, the side door remotely opened, a two tiered ramp flipped open from the side door and he said "could you help push me up the ramp? it's a little steep for me today". I pushed him up the ramp into the van, he thanked me said he was all set and wheeled his way to the drivers seat, the ramp folded up, the door closed and he drove off ahead of me.
By doing this little good deed for the fellow in a wheel chair made me realize how fortunate I am and that no human challenge is insurmountable. I think he did a far bigger good deed for me, than mine was for him.
Comments(14)