Self Image and the Ostomate
Sadly, my nephew, Adam Zaitz, lost his valiant battle early Saturday morning, three weeks from diagnosis. By the time he was rushed to the hospital, Acute Myeloid Leukemia with Mutation had wracked his body, and despite his incredible will to live, this powerful disease won the war. “A horrific disease” is how it was described […]
I have been a visitor in the hospital pretty much every day for the past 16 days, and I have incredible reverence for those who devote their lives to saving others! When I have been a patient so many times, I was only aware of my needs, that which was done to help me survive, too sick to focus on what miracles are performed by the day, by the hour and by the minute. My appreciation was for a warm blanket, a cool towel or a sip of water. Grateful to the medical staff for their knowledge and diligence, I had no concept of the scope of how connected a team they are. Until I was the one praying for the survival of a loved one in the waiting room, or in the patient’s room, or in the cafeteria, or anywhere near where the miracles happen.
Living on the East Coast means sand and sun as soon as the calendar pages turn to May, and most have great difficulty saying farewell to the ocean each fall. The smells of delicious boardwalk foods, carnival-style rides, miniature golf and people-watching on the beach fill the days and nights of the summer months. It seems, for all of us, there are not enough opportunities to enjoy our vacations or weekends, and Ostomates certainly do not want our particular issues to slow us down!