An interesting elevator ride
Yes believe it or not, there were times when we laughed in the midst of this crisis. I look back at these times and remember how they helped me to get through the days that sometimes never seemed to end.
During treatment, my son was very much into dressing in character; a firefighter, construction worker, police officer whatever mood struck him at the time. His favorite, was as construction worker and he insisted in wearing his yellow boots and authentic construction hat to most of his appointments. It always drew attention to him, but he was oblivious as to why. After all, he was serious about being a construction worker.
One day, we were in a crowded hospital elevator on our way to the clinic. My son was in the stroller, dressed with his yellow boots and construction hat. There was just enough room for one more person and one of the doctors squeezed in. This was not one of Erik’s doctors, but his stethescope and white coat gave him away. Erik stared, as if he were studying him to determine what his next move would be. The doctor looked back at him and smiled. Almost immediately, Erik decided it was time to take action. He slowly stuck his tongue out at the doctor as if to say “I’ve had enough of you, thank you very much”.
Everyone in the elevator (including the doctor) laughed. Erik also laughed with a bit of a devilish grin. He didn’t mean to be hurtful. That small action let us all know what was going on in Erik’s head and no one could blame him for not wanting to see another doctor. Being a kid and being treated for cancer is not fun. The good news is that most people understand this and can sympathize when the child expresses their feelings in the only way they know how.