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Valentine's Day: Sweethearts and the CT Scan
I drove to
the hospital on Valentine's Day for my CT scan and quickly found
a parking space. The tiny waiting room for the Radiology
Department was already crowded by 9 AM. I took the only
available seat, next to a senior couple.
Although the wife appeared to be in her late seventies, she had
the demeanor of a young child. I could see by her sweet smile
and sparkling eyes that she had been a beauty in her youth.
She stared at me in an innocent way as I opened the bottle of
barium contrast the nurse had instructed me to drink, in
preparation for my upcoming scan.
"Is that a milkshake?" she inquired with childlike curiosity?
"No, it isn't" I quietly responded, trying not to gag on the
chalky substance.
Although we sat in chairs side by side, she turned herself to
face me directly and watched wide eyed while I continued to sip
at the barium drink.
"Does it taste good?" she inquisitively continued. "Can I have
some?"
Her husband tenderly held her hand as he gently looked over her,
towards me, like a parent looking over his child. His eyes
reflected his affection for her. At their ages, I estimated they
had been married for half a century, yet, at this point in time,
he was an adult spouse, and she was a child.
I assumed she was affected by Alzheimer's, or a similar disease,
that had caused her regression, and, that her scan was scheduled
for the time allotment prior to mine. But when the technician
came to the waiting room and called out for the next patient, I
was surprised when the husband stood up from his chair.
He was the patient, not his wife!
"Would you mind keeping an eye on Mary while I have my test?" he
asked me.
"Not at all", I answered. So, for the next half hour, Mary and I
turned the pages of photo magazines, while I finished drinking
the loathsome barium.
When Mr. Smith completed his test, he returned to the waiting
room, kindly thanked me, then gently explained to Mary that it
was time to go home. She appeared surprised, yet delighted, and
accepted her husband's guidance towards the door.
I wondered about this dear couple. What medical condition had
led them to the Radiology Department? Certainly the husband had,
or was suspected of having, a disease serious enough to warrant
a scan. Whatever his health concerns might be, he also had the
tremendous responsibility of caring for his wife, who surely
could not be left alone for a minute.
Imagine the worry he experiences, not only for his own health,
but for the future of his wife. If something happens to him, who
will care for her? Do they have grown children, and, if they do,
will they take care of their mother?
Regardless of the concerns this devoted husband had on his mind,
he must have done the worrying for both of them, as she simply
was not aware of the events taking place around her. He did not
even have the comfort of having an adult partner to share
concerns about his own prognosis with, because Mary could not
longer comprehend or understand.
Yet her husband tenderly and patiently cared for his
sweetheart...
An excerpt from "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies"
Copyright 2000 by Gabriella Graham |
