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Old Thu Feb 3, 2011, 01:24 PM
Lisa V Lisa V is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Waimanalo, Hawaii
Posts: 401
Has anyone tried drawing features on one of those masks? Seems like it might help break the ice and make people more comfortable if there was a big goofy grin on the front (no toxic markers, of course). Just a thought.

It's hard to gauge humor though, or to know what is appropriate unless you know the person or they give you a clue. I'm surprised Neil's "Got Blood?" T-shirt didn't at least get a chuckle from the nurses, although I wouldn't have expected other patients to say anything.

It's the same with shows of concern, particularly where religion is involved. Although we are not religious people, I have always been deeply appreciative if someone offers to include Ken in their prayers, because it means they care. On the other hand, I get very angry if someone tries to tell us everything will be okay if we just have faith. To the person saying it, those may seem like similar sentiments, but the intention behind them feels very different to me.

I was particularly moved when Ken's brother started going to a "remote healing" practitioner. Every week he'll call and find out what's going on and what areas are the most problematic, and then he goes to someone who uses him as a proxy to send healing vibrations across the ocean to Ken. Now, I don't for a minute believe this has any medical efficacy whatsoever, but it has turned what was formerly a distant relationship into a close one, and that's all that matters.
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-Lisa, husband Ken age 60 dx SAA 7/04, dx hypo MDS 1/06 w/finding of trisomy 8; 2 ATGs, partial remission, still using cyclosporine
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