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Tuesday, May 10, 2005
More Small Town Story
Continued from Previous Posts . . .
One series of stories my mom wrote followed the life of a local girl named Anita. Anita was about ten years old and had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Each week, my mother's column presented another angle to Anita’s story. First, she described Anita as a normal 4th grader – which she was. She loved playing with her friends, listening to music and had a blast making clay sculptures in art class. But after she learned of the cancer, Anita’s life changed dramatically. My mother’s columns shifted to details surrounding the trips to the hospital and the torturous chemotherapy. She wrote about Anita’s reaction to her illness and how her family responded to care for her.
Finally the doctors had no choice but to remove Anita’s leg to keep the cancer from spreading. It was a heart wrenching process for Anita to adapt to life on crutches and then with a prosthetic leg. Even though her young age helped her rebound more quickly than an adult, she could never again interact in the same way with her friends. Walking to class, carrying her books, even the routine of going through the lunch line at the school cafeteria became on ordeal. Her world changed radically. There was scarcely a person in the town who wasn’t touched in some way by watching and helping Anita and her family cope with a new world.
So, through the telling of her story, everyone in the town knew Anita as more than just another girl who lived down the street. And, because she was the girl who lived down the street, practically everyone in town had great empathy. Everyone knew Anita’s story and everyone believed in Anita. Her story rallied the whole town together. Neighbors and church members took extraordinary measures to make the long trips to the hospital as bearable as possible. Meals were prepared, transportation provided, encouraging words were spoken and extra hours were spent by Anita’s classmates and teachers to help her catch up on schoolwork. In some measure, the brutality of the suffering was lessened.
So, through the telling of Anita’s story, redemption occurred.
One series of stories my mom wrote followed the life of a local girl named Anita. Anita was about ten years old and had been diagnosed with bone cancer. Each week, my mother's column presented another angle to Anita’s story. First, she described Anita as a normal 4th grader – which she was. She loved playing with her friends, listening to music and had a blast making clay sculptures in art class. But after she learned of the cancer, Anita’s life changed dramatically. My mother’s columns shifted to details surrounding the trips to the hospital and the torturous chemotherapy. She wrote about Anita’s reaction to her illness and how her family responded to care for her.
Finally the doctors had no choice but to remove Anita’s leg to keep the cancer from spreading. It was a heart wrenching process for Anita to adapt to life on crutches and then with a prosthetic leg. Even though her young age helped her rebound more quickly than an adult, she could never again interact in the same way with her friends. Walking to class, carrying her books, even the routine of going through the lunch line at the school cafeteria became on ordeal. Her world changed radically. There was scarcely a person in the town who wasn’t touched in some way by watching and helping Anita and her family cope with a new world.
So, through the telling of her story, everyone in the town knew Anita as more than just another girl who lived down the street. And, because she was the girl who lived down the street, practically everyone in town had great empathy. Everyone knew Anita’s story and everyone believed in Anita. Her story rallied the whole town together. Neighbors and church members took extraordinary measures to make the long trips to the hospital as bearable as possible. Meals were prepared, transportation provided, encouraging words were spoken and extra hours were spent by Anita’s classmates and teachers to help her catch up on schoolwork. In some measure, the brutality of the suffering was lessened.
So, through the telling of Anita’s story, redemption occurred.
