Dooley Noted: 9/17/2013
My sister told me yesterday that my dad brags about me to the oncologist.
Dad: “You know, my daughter is a doctor. I wish she lived closer so she could take care of me during all of this.”
It’s not easy living far away from the people that give me life.
My dad would never say those words directly to me, because he knows I’m on a mission.
My dad’s tumor is shrinking, and hearing my sister and mother laugh driving him home for chemo helped me realize this:
Being there is important. When all of the things that seem important fall away, it’s being there for the family you make that counts.
It doesn’t have to just be blood-family. Being there to comfort someone could be a random person on the subway.
My cab driver on the way to the airport on Friday gave my nervous self comfort, stating, “Don’t worry – I’ll make sure you make that flight.”
And he did. I did. He provided comfort I needed to get myself on his plane of ease.
I hope you’ll be there for someone today, be it the family you make or a complete stranger. There is no better way to make your own problems feel smaller than to help someone else.
– Dr. Kathy Dooley