I spent a couple of days people watching at a Dallas hospital. I was waiting on my husband that was doing his final lab work for a bone marrow transplant that we had been waiting on for two years.
There was a young lady there that was probably in her early thirties. She quietly sat writing and drawing in a journal while listening to what I imagine to be music through her headphones.
I could see a calmness on her but she never really looked up. She sat alone and looked like she was trying to stay focused. Every now and then someone would pass and she would smile but would immediately look back down. With tears in my eyes, I walked up to her and handed her both keys- strength and trust! (My best friend gave me the keys when he was diagnosed) and told her to trust in her strength. When i looked down at her journal- Head up and and live! - was written in her journal and she was drawing birds. She looked at me and said thank you but I could tell she didn't want to talk so I went on my way.
I went back to be with my husband and told him-- head up---We are going to live again! It was the beginning of his transplant. I then looked out the window and there was a bird sitting and chirping on the window ledge.
-Susan and Eric
