The Unexpected

Published on August 6, 2004 By Teegstar In Home & Family

I was sitting outside on the steps the other night thinking of how you can never expect the unexpected, because if you expected it then it wouldn't be unexpected anymore. And the things that happen that are unexpected -- those kick in the stomach type things -- are often so terrible or happen to the last people you would expect them to, that if you ever in your wildest imaginations thought of that scenario happening, you would berate yourself for ever thinking such a terrible thing about that person. As if it would ever happen!

The unexpected happened today.

This morning I received a phone call telling me that one of my friends has been hospitalised with leukaemia. Leukaemia... that word that for me conjures up images of little pale-faced kids with IV drips and no hair, crying parents and a very real fear of death. I was stunned. Leukaemia is something that happens to Other People, acquaintances of acquaintances or characters in TV shows. Not people I know. And certainly not Jess.

Jess is the other part of what I said about expecting the unexpected before. Even if you were going to "expect" cancer to hit someone, Jess would be the last person you would think of. Because often she is the last person people think of: she's very shy, small and seems younger than she is. So today's news was a double shock.

We went and visited her today and she is very sick, looking even more so, dwarfed as she was in the big white hospital bed with saline drips and blood transfusions. However she has been given a good outlook by the doctors; apparently the form of leukaemia she has has an 80% recovery rate. I'm confident that she will get better again. So while there were tears today, we all indulged a little and laughed too. Great isn't it, that the best medicine comes with no health cover premium?

Please pray for Jess' recovery and also for her family and friends that they can be optimistic and strong. Pray also that although it isn't God's will that she became sick, that He would use this situation to bring people to Himself.

Hug someone,

Teegs

Comments

Ravenblack

on Aug 06, 2004

I used to work in a hospital, leukaemia can hit anybody, even the young and healthy. Since she is young, she would have quite a high chance of recovering fully after treatment. Hope your friend gets well soon.

Teegstar

on Aug 07, 2004

thanks for the encouragement, ravenblack, it was good to hear. i hope she will be fine.

Misanthropic Male

on Aug 07, 2004

Yeah, I know the feeling. My mother got breast cancer in 2000 and I was there to hear the diagnosis and I was with her when she heard she needed a mastectomy. There was a definate feeling of unreality about it. Luckily she recovered and in many ways her life was positively affected by it. She made lots of new friends in her breast cancer dragon boating team and she retired from her job that was stressing her out (though she's back part time now).
Hope your friend get better.

trina_p

on Aug 07, 2004

Sometimes I really can't stand Rin. I read this earlier this morning and I really liked it. Later in the day Rin came round. - She saw Jess again last night.

She's so negative sometimes - My heart hurts

I called Miss McKenna -- our IFC teacher - she's Jess's favourite teacher and a Christian (regional/robbo rd) She's going to try and visit - or at least call -- and I've arranged some other things to possibly cheer her up.

I can't stand this it sux so much. And Rin isn't helping me -- I was okay -- I got home and I shutdown completely yesterday and then I started to feel better - but I didn't break down -- it was only after Rin left that I broke down and mostly because of what she said

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