Tomorrow Is Another Day

Imagine yourself in a bubble. A bubble? Yes, I was the girl in a bubble. I still have vivid memories of lying on a white metal hospital bed with chipped paint. I was in the Bustamante Hospital for Children in Jamaica. Quite a few nurses surrounded me. I was hooked up to an IV and Ventalin ® infused oxygen was being fed into my little “bubble” so that I could breathe. I spent so much time in large rooms filled with beds like mine, with other asthmatic children like myself. I spent birthdays and many holidays in that bubble. It became my home away from home. I did homework in that bubble. I remember being able to leave feeling better each time I was admitted and stayed in that bubble. I remember the look on my mother’s face when I was able to go home. The gratitude. The relief. I remember it all. Looking back at moments like these reminds me of my love for medicine and medical professionals. When thinking of my superheroes, the only people who come to mind are medical professionals. After spending as much time in hospitals as I did, one would think that I would be terrified of the place and of doctors! Did you know there is a term for that? It’s called white coat syndrome and is often experienced by people who have had intense medical experiences. For me, it is quite the opposite. I adore medical professionals. I love everything about hospitals. It’s the perfect place to be when you are not your best. In my experience, they have always fixed me up and sent me on my way, so it’s only natural that when diagnosed with breast cancer, I didn’t have a worry in the world. I figured that my superheroes had this under control, the pandemic hit. Imagine going through the motion of cancer treatment and just when you feel you are almost at the end of the treatment journey and the celebrations should begin, there is a once-in-a-lifetime pandemic. Panic did indeed set in. This was something that none of us could foresee let alone know how to handle.