Diagnostic Day
The center does a great job of making people feel special. Upon entering and throughout the visit, each staff member is kind and compassionate. They have pleasant, relaxing music playing in the background with a video of beautiful places in the world. Cloth towels await those who go into the bathroom. And pretty pink robes are provided for women to cuddle in while they wait. Refreshments are also provided.
On any given day, you will see women of all ages and stages of life. There are a variety of races and cultures, some speak English, and others don’t. Some of the women are in treatment, out of treatment, or going for treatment. Some come nervous with fear on their face. Some leave relieved and happy, while others leave knowing they will be back. Something might surprise you—there are also men in the waiting room. Some are husbands or sons who come to comfort loved ones, but occasionally a man comes in for a diagnosis.
My volunteer job is relatively easy. I offer coffee, tea and water to the patients and those who accompany them. I fold the cloth hand towels in the bathroom. And I visit with those waiting. Sometimes I just listen to the nervous chatter and make small talk or I might try to ease the fears of a husband, but always the most difficult is the conversation with the person who has been diagnosed with cancer. What do you say to a stranger who is upset over hearing that kind of news?
This morning, I visited the center as a patient. The mammogram and the ultrasound had been performed last week, so today was “biopsy day” for me. God went before me, beside me and with me to provide me with comfort. I felt the showering of prayers that were taking place across the country--thank you Lord for Christian friends. They took three samples from the suspicious spot with a needle and then placed a tiny chip in the area as a marker for future reference. Now the waiting for the diagnosis begins; it will be between three and five days.
After going through the “diagnostic day” as a patient I believe that I will be better equipped to be a compassionate volunteer. This is not how I would have chosen to be a comfort to others, but if God can use it, so be it. And although I won’t know what each woman might be thinking or feeling, I will have gone through some of the same procedures and that brings validity and the ability to relate.
2 Corinthians 3-4 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
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