A good friend of mine made a great observation the other day about Doctors. He is going through prostate cancer and is doing fine, but there was certainly a moment or two when he throught he might lose the battle. In our conversation he bragged on his doctor and then he suddenly shifted gears and asked “why in the world would anyone choose this kind of medicine and volunteer to get in the foxhole with you when there are so many easier medical gigs out there? Lots of ways to make money that don’t break your heart.”
After meeting Mom’s doctors, Dr. Field and Dr. Suki, I believe I can answer that question. They are different. They care as much as a human can care, and they know in their hearts they can’t possibly win EVERY time. But if anybody is going to lead the army, in their minds, it might as well be them. Kind of like being called to something.
People who are called are different. I spoke one Sunday morning at a church and afterwards I signed books and talked with quite a few people. Lots of really tough stories of heartbreak and sadness. When I got in my pastors’s car afterwards to go to lunch, I asked him “how do you do this, man? How do you handle this kind of onslaught every day?” He said “you’d better be called. If you’re doing it for any other reason, it will kill you. When the phone rings at the pastor’s office it’s rarely good news.”
I suppose that’s also true with cancer doctors. So much is riding on every move and every decision. Whole families and communities are waiting and praying for good news and healing.
And these brave people are out front. I, for one, am thankful that they are. These 2 men have, with God’s help, spared my mother’s life and given her and all the people around her great hope. And, they’ve done it with a smile, a complement, grace, and dignity.
Gentlemen, thank you. You’ll have a part in every person who mom touches going forward. Stars in your crown….and you deserve every one of them.
