My "Coping" Moment
Last spring I was the guest speaker at the annual Caring Together Memorial Service. My talk went over well so, after some encouragement, and a few changes, I sent it for publication. To make a long story short, I was contacted by Coping Magazine and almost a year later my essay has finally been published. “Coping Magazine” is a publication for people who have been touched by cancer. You can find it in any Oncologist office in the country. This is the original piece. The piece published was edited down. I liked my original version better.
HOPE IS THE ONLY WORD THAT MATTERS
According to Webster’s Dictionary the word hope means “to cherish a desire with anticipation”. I’ve been an Oncology Nurse for 17 years. People ask me all the time”how can you stand your job” or they comment “it must be hard” and “I couldn’t do it”. I love my job and I love my patients. What people don’t realize is that it’s an honor to be a nurse, especially an Oncology Nurse. I live with hope every day.
Mother Theresa said that “if we want to create hope for a person…we must give hope, always hope.” The most important word on the first visit to our office is hope. Sometimes it’s the only word heard. It’s absolutely the only word you want to hear. People hope their doctor is good. They hope they live through surgery and they hope their cancer is treatable. They hope they can tolerate the chemotherapy and especially hope that they don’t vomit. They hope I can find a vein easily for the IV and that I know what I’m doing. They hope they can afford it financially and that they or their loved one doesn’t lose their job. Mostly they just hope for survival. I’m no different. When every new Patient comes in, I hope for the same things.
Daniel Berrigan, poet, activist and clergy man said “A gift we can offer others is so simple a thing as hope.” As time progresses, people dare to hope for new things. They hope for a cure. They hope their families stop nagging them to eat and drink. They hope for a nice, full head of hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. They hope the neuropathy or some of the side effects go away. It’s no longer just survival they hope for, they want their life back. They have a lot to do and they hope the cancer never comes back. I hope they go on to live a full, healthy life, even knowing that it will be a different life, one less carefree, but hopefully one no less joyful. I hope your remission lasts forever.
American Poet Emily Dickinson wrote “Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words and never stops at all”. For some, cancer becomes a chronic disease before it eventually takes their life. They hope for a long remission and for more time. They hope for a life worth living with few side effects of the disease or the treatments. They hope to live long enough for graduations, grandchildren, weddings, or for a trip of a lifetime. They hope to complete their “bucket list”. I hope for the same things and I love hearing about all your milestones. I love that you share your lives with me. I hope you live each day with joy and embrace the days you feel well.
Roman poet Ovid wrote “My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope”. Sadly not everyone survives cancer. Toward the end people continue to hope, but they hope for different things. They hope their families will be okay. They hope the end is peaceful and they hope it is without pain. They hope that God is there for them and with them. Some hope for it to be quick and some hope for it to be prolonged so they can experience one last thing. They hope someone is holding their hand as they die. My hopes are the same. I hope it’s peaceful and painless. I hope their families learn from their loved one’s life and remember their strength and love and know that the same love and strength lies within themselves. But mostly, I don’t want them to lose hope. For myself, I pray I never lose the ability to feel hope. Without it, there is nothing. Hope is the only word that matters.
To see my article copingmag.com page 46.
HOPE IS THE ONLY WORD THAT MATTERS
According to Webster’s Dictionary the word hope means “to cherish a desire with anticipation”. I’ve been an Oncology Nurse for 17 years. People ask me all the time”how can you stand your job” or they comment “it must be hard” and “I couldn’t do it”. I love my job and I love my patients. What people don’t realize is that it’s an honor to be a nurse, especially an Oncology Nurse. I live with hope every day.
Mother Theresa said that “if we want to create hope for a person…we must give hope, always hope.” The most important word on the first visit to our office is hope. Sometimes it’s the only word heard. It’s absolutely the only word you want to hear. People hope their doctor is good. They hope they live through surgery and they hope their cancer is treatable. They hope they can tolerate the chemotherapy and especially hope that they don’t vomit. They hope I can find a vein easily for the IV and that I know what I’m doing. They hope they can afford it financially and that they or their loved one doesn’t lose their job. Mostly they just hope for survival. I’m no different. When every new Patient comes in, I hope for the same things.
Daniel Berrigan, poet, activist and clergy man said “A gift we can offer others is so simple a thing as hope.” As time progresses, people dare to hope for new things. They hope for a cure. They hope their families stop nagging them to eat and drink. They hope for a nice, full head of hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. They hope the neuropathy or some of the side effects go away. It’s no longer just survival they hope for, they want their life back. They have a lot to do and they hope the cancer never comes back. I hope they go on to live a full, healthy life, even knowing that it will be a different life, one less carefree, but hopefully one no less joyful. I hope your remission lasts forever.
American Poet Emily Dickinson wrote “Hope is a thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without words and never stops at all”. For some, cancer becomes a chronic disease before it eventually takes their life. They hope for a long remission and for more time. They hope for a life worth living with few side effects of the disease or the treatments. They hope to live long enough for graduations, grandchildren, weddings, or for a trip of a lifetime. They hope to complete their “bucket list”. I hope for the same things and I love hearing about all your milestones. I love that you share your lives with me. I hope you live each day with joy and embrace the days you feel well.
Roman poet Ovid wrote “My hopes are not always realized, but I always hope”. Sadly not everyone survives cancer. Toward the end people continue to hope, but they hope for different things. They hope their families will be okay. They hope the end is peaceful and they hope it is without pain. They hope that God is there for them and with them. Some hope for it to be quick and some hope for it to be prolonged so they can experience one last thing. They hope someone is holding their hand as they die. My hopes are the same. I hope it’s peaceful and painless. I hope their families learn from their loved one’s life and remember their strength and love and know that the same love and strength lies within themselves. But mostly, I don’t want them to lose hope. For myself, I pray I never lose the ability to feel hope. Without it, there is nothing. Hope is the only word that matters.
To see my article copingmag.com page 46.
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