Graphic is courtesy of
Michael Noyes.
Click here to
get to his site.
This has been one roller-coaster
week. Thank you for your prayers. Thanks to them,
through the recent rain storms in the lives of dear friends, the sun
keeps shining!
Either B
for Belle has the mildest case of Bell's Palsy I've ever seen;
she's a quick healer; her facial exercises, manual lid closure, and
vitamin B-12 have speeded up her recovery; the antibiotic, antiviral
and anti-inflammatory combo quelled the sequelae; or the power of
prayer circles is manifesting.
Or all of the above!
Within a week, B looks great!
Her dimple is returning. We had lunch together, and she is in great
spirits. She has met with a brain surgeon, whose personality
she described as "typical of a surgeon" -- cool and
clinical. That disturbed me, as although they are hard to
find, caring and skilled surgeons are out there. And it
seemed to me that he could have -- at very least -- worked on her
behalf to expedite the MRI testing, which has been postponed once
again. (Grrrr!)
I refer clients who require specialty
care to two surgeons who are caring, skilled and capable of easily
communicating their human warmth to their patients. Following up
with my clients' outcomes, I know firsthand how successful their
surgeries are. I attribute their successes not only to these
surgeons' clinical and surgical skills, but also to the critical
healing factors of positive doctor-patient relationships.
Communicated warmth, caring, and concern make ALL the difference in
the world in the healing process.
Somehow, we ended up talking about
Israel (IZ), a beloved Hawaiian musician whose music
we both love and play in our offices every work day. After
a 14-year estrangement brought on by a tumultuous, bitter divorce, a
mother and her children were nudged back together again as an 'ohana
(family) by Israel
"Braddah IZ" Kamakawiwo'ole.
IZ and I had connected, long-distance
via the 'Net, then in person in Marin
County, outside San Francisco. We stayed connected through
his
health slide, and DH and I had hoped to return to Hawai`i to see
IZ before he transitioned, but we lagged behind when my mentor
unexpectedly transitioned first, and we attended his funeral and
burial before flying home to Hawai`i.
We got to Honolulu too late. Or so we
thought.
We got there in time to attend IZ's
funeral, one of the biggest funerals in the history of
Hawai`i. The lines that snaked around the state Capitol were
long and sinuous, yet somehow out of the queued
thousands, the TV camera lens alighted on DH and me. We
were unaware that we were on TV until the next day, when friends and
family let us know that they saw us on the evening newscasts.
On another island, my mother happened
to be watching that station's news. Seeing us at IZ's funeral
began to soften her heart, and I do believe IZ, who lived Aloha and
loved his 'ohana with all his heart, made my mother his
personal pet project.
A few months later, at a cousin's
wedding in San Francisco, she came up to me and we hugged and hugged
and hugged. The first thing she talked about was seeing me on TV at IZ's
funeral. What an icebreaker. Since that time, the entire 'ohana
has been brought together as one, and our souls, IZ and mine, remain
connected.
An angel -- or two -- must have been flying
around us at Coco's, eavesdropping on B's and my conversation over
lunch...
~~~
That's
IZ
to the far right as a Makaha Son of Ni`ihau;
his present occupation: Hawaiian Suppa Man, the flying angel!
After lunch, I was updating the
medical history of one of my most positive and loving clients.
She said that she had had a bout with Bell's Palsy a few months ago
and had, thank goodness, recovered, although it was quite a fright.
(Like B, she thought she had a stroke.) She was grateful for her
family and friends -- her support system -- that helped her through
that scary time.
I seized this synchronistic
opportunity and asked her if she would share her experience with B.
Of course, the Earth angel that she is, she was more than happy to
do so. I personally witnessed the uplift that her sharing,
concern and empathy brought B.
Within another hour, another client
-- one that I had not seen in almost ten years -- updated his family
medical history by telling me about his mother's brain cancer.
Thank goodness, he said, that his trusted friend is a
neurologist. When his mother needed brain surgery, that friend
referred her to a superbly skilled surgeon. Who better than
a neurologist to know who's the best brain surgeon? He
too gets first-hand feedback as to outcomes and skill levels.
My friend expressed great
appreciation to his neurologist friend and his mother's successful
brain surgery. I asked him if he was willing to speak to B about
this surgeon, and of course, he was very happy to be of help.
Miracles happen all the time, but
often we are too mired or oblivious to them. These were darn
obvious! Thank you, Ke Akua and angels, for the timely
delivery of these two good-hearted, sharing people to my door today.
Thank you!
~~~
As uplifted as I was
with B's lifted spirits, a pall still hung over me at day's end, as
late last night, we'd received the following shattering news about our
Hawaiian civic club friend, K, from his courageous, chin-up
wife:
Latest
report is the tumor is malignant and seems a bit aggressive.
Will discuss plan of care with oncologist in morning.
Boys and Dad have been great
support and we'll make it through this bout! K's
joking with the staff and feeling better...trying not to let
me worry....like he can! But seeing him look 100% back
to his usual self is assurance
enough.
We'll see it through this
bout! Mahalo for all the cards, email, prayers...it
does work! We are gratefull for the blessings we've
received.
Will keep you
updated..."get some rest yourselves ....you're in for
it soon!"
Aloha no, mahalo!
"The Fragrance" |
I kept K and his 'ohana
(family) close to my heart all day. And then another miracle
was waiting for us at home. A testament to the power of
prayer!
We just joyously
received this update on K:
GREAT
NEWS!
Don't ever doubt the power
of prayers: prayer meetings from throughout California -
Santa Barbara-San Francisco to Hawai`i. Missouri, Arizona
and several other states, has been answered.
Though the Neuro-Surgeon's
initial assessment was an aggressive metastatic
"cancerous" tumor in K's right frontal lobe,
tissue reports today (reads): "non-cancerous tissue
- benign tumor the size of a tangerine."
We have some breathing time
for elective surgery. First, K needs to recover from
an infection ? origin...he's on antibiotics, has had a full
cardiovascular workup and seems to be recovering. He
walked the ICU today, a bit shakey, but has a walker and we
expect discharge soon with home Physical Therapy.
Don't think he needs Home PT but we'll take it if they say
he needs help!
We'll take anything they
suggest...can't thank each and everyone of you for your
prayers, wishes, emails, flowers, phone calls, and
overwhelming support from everyone. It's times like these that cherished friends are there supporting
all of us....mahalo and aloha! K's resting comfortably
and hopes to home soon!
Mahalo J&K for
covering. THE REST OF YOU, WHAT CAN WE SAY!
We'll be back at the meetings soon! Hope to see you
guys Sunday....we'll have to see how K is!
Aloha, May Ke Akua Bless all
of you as He has BLESSED us these past few days.
MAHALO & Aloha
no!
K, "The Fragrance" & `Ohana
|
"If
the only prayer you ever say is 'Thank you,'
it will be enough".
~ Meister
Eckhart, 12th century mystic
Mahalo,
Ke Akua! (Thank you, God!)
<You're
welcome!>
Did you hear that?
"Life is a Gift."
Me ke
Aloha,
Author
Unknown
"The
only gift is a portion of thyself..."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
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