Back in June 2016, I checked into Duke Raleigh Hospital severely dehydrated and hungry as I couldn't eat much of anything because of the cancer. The Fourth Floor Charge Nurse brought me to my room and gave me two hospital gowns. She said they had seen way too many wrinkled butts roaming the halls and appreciate it when the patients cover it up. She was a very sweet lady and we had a few laughs before she left the room.
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| Robert and Me in the lobby at Duke Raleigh Hospital Dec 2017 |
Have you ever met someone with such a kind face and demeanor that you instantly feel at ease, like you've known them all your life? A person that you crossed paths with on purpose, as if a higher power put them in that exact place at exactly the right time? That's the feeling I had with this man.
Robert explained he happened to pass by and stopped at my door on a whim. He explained his mission, and asked where the room's patient was. He was a little surprised when I said I was the patient, since I was still in my street clothes. He said I looked too healthy to be the patient, and we had a good laugh. We chatted for quite a while, and I have to admit I felt a bond with this stranger that had wandered in on a whim. After we had talked a while, he asked if he could pray for me, and then said he'd stop in while I was in the hospital.
He was true to his word, and I looked forward to his daily visits, even when I wasn't feeling as fresh as a daisy! It really meant the world to me and definitely set the tone for my mental attitude for all the upcoming procedures and chemo treatments. Robert's fellowship was a positive influence on me and I couldn't have made it this long without his initial "jump start" and attitude adjustment.
After I was discharged, I didn't get a chance to see him again and lost contact with him. After my esophageal surgery, I was visited by other staff clergy covering ICU, but it just wasn't the same. Don't get me wrong, I appreciated them coming by and praying for my recovery and my Doctors, but there was not the same connection I had with Robert.
I lost Robert's contact info in the mass of papers, business cards and summaries I got, but I never forgot him. Several times, I searched for him online with no results at all. How is it possible that Google has no record of a person's location or contact info? Besides, who isn't on Facebook, Twitter or other social media these days? I would search every few months with no results. In desperation, I found the Duke Hospital Clergy's web page and found email addresses. I sent an email to one of the Administrative Assistants, figuring if anyone knew Robert, they would.
Days, then weeks went by and I was about to give up. It turns out she did not know Robert and forwarded my email up the chain. One of the Pastors knew him, was his supervisor, and had saved his contact info and sent my email to Robert. As I checked my morning emails on the phone a couple weeks ago, there it was! An email from Robert, saying he remembered me from our brief meetings over a year and a half ago! I quickly clicked reply and sent my response, even though I seriously doubted he remembered me at all.
Nothing for days. No reply from Robert. My Engineer brain realized my phone uses my work email as the default client, so maybe my response went to his junk or spam folder, so I replied again using my personal Gmail address.
No response. Really? Are there people in this world that do not check their email every 10-15 minutes or less? Who does not reply to emails right away?
A couple nights ago, my phone "dinged" and I got an email from Robert asking what times would be good to meet. I responded and got a reply! We set up our meeting at 4:00 at the Hospital Cafe. My Christmas wish was coming true and I arrived with bells on. Not literally, but definitely with visions of sugar plums dancing in my head and very emotional that I was about to get my Christmas wish.
After I confirmed he hadn't arrived before me, I took a seat in the lobby and pulled my phone out to check emails. (Yep, I'm one of those people) 4:00 came and went and I was afraid he may have been called away on an emergency, but then he called my name from across the lobby, and sat down breathless, like he had just finished a marathon. Actually, he had, as he admitted he played a game of "Frogger" by crossing Old Wake Forest Road in afternoon traffic!
We pretty much picked up our conversation where we left off in 2016. Without prompting, Robert actually did remember our first meeting in detail and admitted he also thought of me and how I was doing. Then the irony floodgate was opened when Robert began by saying "Here's something you don't know about me!" The parallels of our lives flowed out like a tidal wave and it became very clear why we had such a strong connection. We are two peas in a pod in so many ways.
Our reunion also revealed itself to be a two way street. My whole positive attitude during my treatments are due to meeting this man at the right time, but I was missing the spark Robert brought into my life. Robert admitted he was going through rough times recently and my email had the same effect on him. It is very obvious we were meant to be friends, and while neither of us understand God's plan for throwing us together, we both vowed to allow it to happen. I truly believe we did not cross paths accidentally. We were having such a good time and cracking up in laughter while recalling some of our adventures, and people passing us in the lobby looked at us and smiled knowing we were having such a good fellowship, or they were thinking, bless their hearts, they're crazy.
To make a long story short, Christmas is a magical time of feelings you can't buy in a store. This was my Christmas wish and it came true, so don't hesitate to make a wish. You might get what you wished for.
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