Station 6
Jesus wipes away my suffering
There have been many notable patients that I have met. However, one Hispanic woman stands out in my mind. When I first met her, she was extremely pale and withdrawn, laying flat and still on the hospital bed. She spoke a few words and quietly nodded in response. She was admitted for uncontrollable uterine bleeding but was worried about her immigrant status. After multiple blood transfusions, she was finally ready for discharge. On that day, she was sitting in a chair, smiling with a rosy complexion against a shining sun. Using a hospital translator, she repeatedly thanked us, with tears in her eyes, for helping her.
What stayed with me in that interaction was God’s presence in that farewell moment. We were able to alleviate her suffering. We were able to help her feel better and go home to her waiting husband and children. Today, I submitted my rank list for which residency programs I am hoping to match. I am nervous and anxious about the next step in my career. Am I smart enough? Am I qualified to help my patients? Can I even make them feel better? I can understand how Veronica must have felt, approaching Jesus as he carries his cross. How painful it must have been to see someone suffering and questioning whether she was worthy to even wipe Jesus’s face. To wonder if her actions would even help him.
Dear Lord, please be with me in each interaction with my patients. Please give me the confidence to wipe their blood and tears, to alleviate their suffering, as Veronica wiped your face. Please guide me so that I can let your glory shine through.
Theresa Cao [Midwest]