Loving Kindness in Action

Kindness is tenderness. 

Kindness is love, 

but perhaps greater than love...

Kindness is good will.

Kindness says, 

"I want you to be happy."

       ~ Randolph Ray

It has become quite busy at the clinic with 7 new people, some of whom are carers and not patients.  They are in various stages of 'wellness', most are first timers to the clinic.  Quite a change after a week of just four of us veterans.  One thing that I have been really noticing since we have been here  is the kindness shown not just by the staff to the patients but the patients to each other.  At times I have found it profoundly moving.  Sometimes just one patient carer crossing the room and placing a blanket on another patient without being asked.  One patient dragging a drip stand helping another patient with a drip stand into a wheelchair, infusion tubes all over the place.  Just pure kindness and caring without any expectations of a 'return'.  

There is amazing empathy, understanding and a deep sharing between patients and patients and carers also.  The carers will get their 'patient' a protein shake and check if anyone else wants one, same with water, glasses and anything else needed for comfort.  This is beside all the sharing of information and experiences and plenty of humour in spite of some serious suffering going on.  I thought the photo Glen took one morning of the horses giving each other a back scratch was somehow appropriate to the topic for giving and kindness. 

On the subject I would also like to thank everyone for their emails, blog and facebook comments.  I really appreciate the support, caring, kindness, encouragement and thoughtfulness  of your words.  I am sorry I have not responded personally to thank you but you have warmed my heart  and I am very grateful for your friendships.  I am also deeply grateful to Glen for all her help in looking after me from carrying my computer to doing all the shopping and food preparation ensuring I have enough to drink, that I am comfortable and so on. 

I started the Removab infusion about 6 hours ago and have just got comfy in the hospital bed ready for the reaction.   There is another patient also on Removab today who has also had to head off to their hospital room.  Have had a good day so far.  Had a physio session this morning and a Reiki treatment after lunch.  Very pleasant and relaxing, good preparation for the coming  hours.

Have also had a bone marrow aspiration done which was quite painful.  This is to look for tumour cells in the bone marrow.  There is a new treatment available that involves radioactive particles being injected that are preferentially absorbed by bone tumours.  The radiation only spreads out about 1 mm so other tissues are not affected.  If the tumours are in the bone marrow, however,  this would be a problem as the radiation will knock out some of the marrow and so inhibit blood cell production which is pretty serious if the blood cell count is already low from other treatment as is the case with me.  Won't get the results for 10 days and the treatment requires a trip to Stuttgart.  No use planning anything before we get the results.

It was May Day here yesterday which is quite a big Spring celebration certainly in the south of Germany, not sure of elsewhere.  Unfortunately we missed the activities but most villages have a raising of the May Pole with music and other celebrations.  The night before they have big bonfires and fire works.  We were home and thought it was thunder.  Have a lovely view from the hospital bed.  Just outside there is a beautiful young pine tree with a white blossoming tree directly behind it with the blossoms visible between the pine branches and either side of the pine tree.  In the distance there are the lovely green fields,  a few houses, a variety of trees and some lovely fluffy white clouds in a mostly blue sky.  

Going to rest and read a little now and wait for my temperature to start going up and the shakes to start. 

Surviving & Thriving

Linda