In Eckleburg's Eyes - 1/14/2009, Part 2

News & Notes from Tuesday, January 13th, 2009, Part 1

-On Tuesday morning, I worked a shift at the Hope Resource Center. Both of my appointments showed up, sort of. The second client actually signed up for his significant other, but I count that, making my streak five in a row.

-I did make a mistake with the first client. I took the female form into the counseling session as opposed to the male one. The first question asks the client about her last menstrual cycle. You will be pleased to know that there were no problems with his... Actually, I was pleased I had done so well ad libbing the interview.

-I thoroughly enjoyed my shift. After Carla joined the team last week, another new girl named Becca joined this time. She used the word “sassy”. Naturally, I liked her.

-Immediately after my shift, I rushed to the University of Tennessee Medical Center where my grandfather was scheduled to undergo radiation treatments in hopes of eliminating his prostate cancer. I rushed without needing to as I arrived before my grandparents.

-While at the hospital I bought two OUTLIVE t-shirts, one for me and one for ALK. The shirts help the UT Medical Center fight against cancer. This was the program that provided the early diagnosis for Tennessee basketball star Chris Lofton prior to last season and his signature is on the back of the shirt. I like Lofton and hate cancer so it seemed like a noble cause. Fans are being asked to wear the shirt to the Florida game on January 31st.

-My uncle JHV, my aunt MCVD, my grandparents and I congregated in the waiting room. My father was not there as he was recovering from a cold and did not want to contaminate the area.

-We were allowed to sit with my grandfather while he awaited surgery one at a time so JHV, MCVD, and I took turns. I enjoyed talking to him. I pumped him for all the advice he could muster. He relayed a lot of his life story. It either kept his mind off the procedure or made him think he was dying. It was definitely one of the two.

-While waiting I met two of his nurses, Kirsta and Mary Jane. He was pleased that both of urologists T. Preston Shepherd and Dr. Green were there. When they asked if he had any questions, he asked if they had a warranty. I was proud of him.

-When the procedure began, we all ate a late lunch at the Allspice Café, the hospital’s in-house restaurant. My sandwich was good, especially for hospital food. There we were joined by my mother who had worked a shift at Children’s Hospital earlier in the day.

-The procedure went well. 93 radiation pellets were inserted into his body. We will not know if they were effective for a few months. There was also a 15% chance that he would have to have a catheter after the procedure. On this day, all went as well as could have been hoped.

-When I learned my grandfather had done well, I left to attend class at UT.