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Walking Through the Cancer Ward
Peace, Cancer, and God
When I was first diagnosed with cancer in 2004, I eventually agreed to do chemotherapy. I regret it, looking back, because chemo was so hard on my body. I didn’t mind the surgery or the radiation but the chemo was worse than the cancer.
Aside from the hair loss, the weakness, and the nausea, chemo did other horrible things to your body.
Walking through the cancer ward when I arrived for treatment, most of the people I saw looked depressed. I remember one teenager who looked sad.
I stopped to chat because she was so young. While we talked, she said she hated how ugly she was. Her mother sat nearby and never contradicted her. That made me angry.
“You are beautiful,” I told her. “You are strong and a survivor. And God loves you.”
Her mother might not have appreciated that last comment, but the girl perked up. My goal was not to push religion but to make her feel better. And it worked.
Could I have done it without mentioning God?
Yes, but it sorta slipped out. I am a person of faith and sometimes God gets mentioned. If someone looks uncomfortable, I change the subject. I’m not pushing God or any particular religion. I have friends who are Wiccan, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist……
