MaryBeth and I are members of the Patient Family Advisory Council and last night we attended its monthly meeting. MD Anderson believes that patients and families should be full partners in their care, so having an advisory team ensures a safer, more efficient and satisfying care experience for all. The meeting always begins with a patient story and last night Laurie talked about her discharge day, and how she just wanted to get home and wash her hair. One of her nurses suggested she go to the free beauty salon where they offer shampoos, haircuts, shaves, and provide wigs, scarves, and hats. She came back from the Beauty Salon feeling so much better; she had leaned into her brokenness and taken a big first step to not letting cancer rule her life.
I remember after my surgery, I asked my surgeon when I would walk again, he told me “get up and walk as much as you can”. When I left the hospital, I still wore my catheter, which was painful when I moved. My first day home I got up early and walked around the block, and each day after I added more steps. It was my way to leaning into my brokenness. MaryBeth came home after her segmental mastectomy and the pain limited what she could wear, but I remember the smile on her face as she slowly wore the loose blouses she loved, she was leaning into her brokenness and getting back to being herself.
Today, lean into your brokenness and head home.
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