Carma is Real!

A week before Christmas I had a cancer patient. For HIPPA reasons I won't get too detailed, but he was around my dad's age. I was striking conversation as I was starting an IV on him and I asked him if he had any fun Christmas plans. His response was, "No, I have been alone for so long that it is just another day for me." He has been single since the 90's and has no children or any other extended family. He has felt too sick to date since then and then had a heart attack 2 months after he was forced to retire due to his health. He had a bad migraine that day and also mentioned how he probably had one foot in the grave anyway. Hearing all of this hit me really hard. Here there is this fairly young man who is living completely alone, and has for many years.

After work he was still on my mind. So I decided to send him a Christmas package. He was diabetic (like many patients) so I got him some sugar free goodies and got some headache meds (for any other attacks he may have) and gave him a card saying Christmas shouldn't just be another day to anyone and wished him "Many many more Merry Christmases" and told him it was because I like to think positively that he DOES have more. I wrote more stuff but don't feel it necessary to share.

Anyway, a week went by and I was at work. Our work day was a disaster with many different things going wrong, including very difficult patients to deal with. Both my coworker and I were both getting really frazzled and were both ready for the day to be over with, but still had quite a bit to go. I was almost to my "snapping" point when there was a knock on the trailer door with my former patient! He came to bring me a little Christmas gift and to thank me for brightening his day. It couldn't have come at a better time! Here is a picture of the gift package:

It's like he has known me forever because the mug says, "Gimme some sugar!" And everyone knows how much I love sugar. The card says:

ONE SEED- can start a garden

ONE SMILE- Can lift a spirit

ONE CANDLE- can light a room

ONE CONVERSATION- can start a friendship

ONE PERSON- can make all the difference, that one is YOU

I invited him in to visit and he updated me on some results of the scan. He then gave me a hug then had to leave. But seriously good carma couldn't have happened at a better time. It was what I needed to keep going that day at work and to not snap at my ornery patient :) (don't worry, I haven't ever snapped...yet anyway). Well this story probably isn't cool to anyone else but me. But it is still comforting to know that carma still has it's way of coming around when you need it!