Sharing and accompanying patients

“I feel my life is as if everything forgets me, only illness does not forget me.”

A fleeting remark from her, but it made our hearts choke. She is one of the patients undergoing post-transplant treatment; taking anti-rejection medication forces her to face some unwanted effects such as facial hair growing faster and thicker, as well as the stress of the fear of “forgetting to take medication” and seeing family members having to adjust their work to care for and monitor her for a period after the transplant… Sometimes she feels that being cared for is a burden, she worries about her decisions, about the days ahead for herself and her family.

And those worries are justified for her. In the process of walking alongside patients, those very human emotions help us understand that we need to be present, to stay, and to walk with her.

Besides psychological and social support, the small everyday sharing also helps the patient feel they are not abandoned, that they can enjoy ordinary joys: “I’m happier because I get to hear music, I feel incredibly light when I get a haircut, I want to roll on the floor from those joys… It’s wonderful!”

Today is International Happiness Day (20/03), wishing her and her family many wonderful things.