The Best Warriors Carry Kleenex, Too

The battle was finally over, and the shrieking alarms had faded to memory.  Exhausted, Adrianne lay spread-eagled on her back, gasping for breath.  A menagerie of stuffed animals, silent witnesses to her struggle, stood at attention along the foot of her bed.  The soft puffing sound of the ventilator and the gurgling of the water seal were the only sounds breaking the stillness of the room.

At the age of ten, Adrianne is a veteran warrior against the disease that has threatened her since age four.  She has endured every treatment, every set-back with determined resolve.

This particular battle is against complications from a chemotherapy treatment, not from the Leukemia itself.  She had won skirmishes with a lung virus, pneumonia, fungus, and had just been weaned from her ventilator the previous day -- then further complications swooped suddenly into her life as a small leak developed in the lining of her right lung.  It partially collapsed under the pressure, alarms rang, and a dedicated team of experts quickly reintubated her on the ventilator, and installed a small tube to drain the excess air from the lining of her lung..

A call was sent out to the beeper carried by her parents, and they rushed to a telephone to call the ICU.  The doctor in charge told them what had transpired, so they would know what to expect when they arrived at the hospital.

As they entered the room, their eyes took in every detail: the nurse was busy checking the operation of the new drain tube, and Adrianne lay on the bed with her head turned toward the door, eyes closed, and a single tear lay quivering against her nose.

This scene was all it took for her Mom, also a six-year veteran of this war, to need the Kleenex box.  There is no shame in tears, these are the two bravest warriors I’ve ever met in my life.  They command the greatest respect.  Even the bravest warriors in this battle carry Kleenex -- tears heal as well as any other medicine.

Dallas D'Angelo-Gary 99