The Fortunate

I work in the medical field and people's lives are in my hands every day. Many of my patients die but I am not bothered by it. At other times, some people tug on your heart strings. Today, I disconnected someone from life support. This is not abnormal for me. It is part of my job and I probably do it at least once a day while I am at work. For the most part, it is best for the patient and is therefore, a blessing. Today, it was the same circumstances. This person was very sick and it was a blessing to let him go in peace and not have to struggle for every breath. At his bedside, sat his wife. I would usually just do my job and walk out of the room but, today this woman needed me. She needed to talk to someone. She needed to tell me everything that had been going on in her tragic life. I listened to her and kept her company while her husband drifted off to an eternal sleep. This woman explained to me that she just lost her son, her daughter was just diagnosed with cancer, and is now dealing with the death of her soulmate, her husband.

I just want everyone to think about what this woman went through today and what she will face in the near future. Loneliness, sadness, fear, grief and so much more.

So, when you are feeling sorry for yourself, please, don't. There are so many people who deserve to. We, the fortunate, need to be strong for the weak.

Days like today help me realize why I am in the medical field. And most importantly, that I am the fortunate.