Kia ora, our excellent adventure continues with thoughts about something that Ward's father, Lester, used to say. When anyone was ill, hurting or just not feeling well, Lester used to tell them that, "It will feel better when it stops hurting". I have heard that same phrase from Ward over and over again in our eight years of marriage. It is actually a much longer time, if you count our years of dating and two (yes that's what I said) engagements. I have to admit, that I was not always happy to hear Ward tell me that I would feel better later, because I was not feeling better at that moment and I wanted a little sympathy. I thought that little phrase was a touch dismissive and to be honest, I was tired of hearing it. The events of the past month, however, have put everything into a little different perspective, and now I am the one telling Ward that it will feel better when it stops hurting and I really mean it.
When we posted the photo in last week's blog, I noticed that Ward did not appear to be his usual perky self. There was something missing. He looked weary. There was a sadness surrounding his eyes. That photo was taken two days after the events that I am going to share. I have always felt that you can tell if someone is suffering by looking into their eyes and I was struck by the fact that I could see that a change had occurred in his countenance. So, if any of the rest of you noticed that same change, I thought that I would relate the events of our last two weeks.
Several weeks ago, I noticed that something looked odd about one of Ward's ears. I begged him to have it checked out and when begging did not did not work, I threatened with the only ammunition that I had at hand. I told him that we were not proceeding with plans for the mission unless he saw a doctor. That did it! Ward went to see his niece, Dr Sharlene Minor. Sharlene agreed with me that the ear needed to be examined. She suggested seeing a dermatologist. A doctor's opinion trumps a wife's concerns every time! To make a long story shorter, Ward was diagnosed with Basal-cell carcinoma.in his right ear. As we understand it, this is a relatively common cancer, and when caught early, the patient will make a full recovery. I truly believe that as nervous as he was about the cancer, Ward was even more concerned that the situation could mean a delay of our mission or even worse, a cancellation. He was beside himself. I might add here, that Ward is not ever, in any circumstance, the best of patients, and the worry over the effect that this might have on "His Mission", made him even less endearing as patients go.
Ward was worried and frightened. It was now my responsibility to assure him that it really would feel better when it stopped hurting. With the timing being a concern, we are amazed by how quickly we were able to make an appointment for him and how quickly the lab tests were returned. We are indebted to Dr. Amy Curtis for insisting that the lab results be returned quickly. Dr. Curtis is not of our faith, but appreciated the importance of our time constraints. We are grateful to Megan at Dr. Curtis' office for scheduling Ward's surgery the very next day following the return of the lab results . And we feel very fortunate that one of the few doctors in Salt Lake who would be best able to perform the surgery and the accompanying skin grafting was willing to fit us into his busy schedule on that same day! We sense that perhaps, Dr. Michael Hinckley, (grandson of President Hinckley) understood our concern over timing and was willing to help us.
We are also grateful for caring nurses and doctors who dedicate their lives to helping others. We are grateful for the perfect timing that we have experienced and for the concern that friends and family have shown to Ward. This concern is not an isolated case and we are also grateful for the people who surround us on a daily basis. I am grateful that Ward's father, Lester, was wise enough to know that there will be times for all of us when the hurting will disappear and we will truly feel better.
Speaking of feeling better, I would like to share a humorous side note with you. As I mentioned, Ward is not the easiest patient and sometimes, to say that he over reacts, may be an understatement. During the procedure, I could see that Ward was becoming increasingly agitated and I asked Doctor Hinckley if he could administer something that would calm Ward down. Eventually Ward fell asleep, but woke up long enough to sing one chorus of "Blue Hawaii" and an entire rendition of "Little Grass Shack". complete with hand gestures! Ward says that he has no memory of this, but both Dr. Hinckley and his surgical nurse thanked us for entertaining them. Actually, Dr. Hinckley was not even in the room at the moment of Ward's performance, as he was attending to another patient. The fact that the doctor was able to hear Ward in an adjoining room makes me think that the entire office staff was entertained as well! We thanked our doctor and our doctor thanked us for a very memorable afternoon. All's well that ends well.
Ward has been given a clean bill of health and we will be leaving on schedule. We are grateful. Thank you, Lester, for reminding us once again how it is possible to be grateful even while we are hurting. We are grateful for the knowledge that things will get better. We are also grateful for the lessons we have learned or relearned this week. It is truly amazing to realize how much we have to be grateful for, even when circumstances are less than ideal for us. As always, we are thinking of all of you and are grateful for the place you hold in our hearts.
P.S. We will be very grateful if you will please be aware of your sun exposure and always, always use sun screen!
Love, Ward and Susan Elder and Sister Belliston about to be serving in the New Zealand, Hamilton Mission
Our grateful, but weary patient.
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