Illness/injury is not always a bad thing, as I've learned over the years. One of the first times I learned this was in medical school when I was training at the V.A. hospital. One afternoon, I was examining a man who had developed early Alzheimer's disease. He was a pleasant enough gentleman; he mostly smiled at everything I asked him. Fortunately, his daughter was there by his side to answer most of them. At the end of my questions, I did a full examination and expressed my sympathies that this man had been robbed of his faculties at such an early age.
Daughter: "Why would you say that?"
Me: "Because it's a shame that someone this young should have to go through this."
Daughter: "Before this disease, my father was a guilt-stricken, tearful mess over the things he was forced to do and undergo in Vietnam. Now, look at him. He's a smiling, care-free child again. This disease is not a curse; it's a blessing. My father gets to enjoy his last years free of the memories of that awful place. The real shame is that he had to endure it in the first place."
I didn't really know what to say to this and said that I was sorry I had brought it up. She just smiled and led her father outside to the waiting room once again. He waved to me as he walked out the door, grinning.
#nowords
2 comments:
I experienced a similar thing w/my dad after he managed to get a massive TBI & paraplegia after a skiing accident. While it was awful for while, and it took him a few years to recoup most of his self-sufficiency, once he did...he was as happy as a clam!
Before the accident he was a quietly depressed, high-achieving gov't official, afterward he was happy to take a long ride in the mountains, or watch a silly movie. He was so much happier w/30 less IQ points, it was really remarkable. His last few years were happy, filled with new challenges that he was happy to meet and new friends that he made.
Odd, but true.
thank you. i really needed to hear that right now.
thank you again...
#thingsbloggerssaybetweenthetears.
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