January 13, 2013

• R.I.P.,Ray.

     I first met Ray through one of my clients in my massage and meningeal care practice. He was big and muscular.  He had heard from his friend that I was very good at deep tissue work.  He was about six feet tall.  Brawny would describe his build most accurately. He became a regular in my practice and I looked forward to the hours when we would work together, talk and laugh. 

     After I closed my massage practice and returned to full-time nursing, I still saw him occasionally at the clinic where I worked. A year or so ago, maybe a little more, I learned he had Carcinoid Syndrome. I didn't reach out to him because I wasn't sure of the appropriateness of it due to HIPPA regulations. About six weeks ago I decided to hell with it and approached him in the exam room and said hello. We hugged. Ray had changed. He had lost a lot of weight.   His face looked different, but his eyes still danced and he smiled when he saw me. We hugged. His hug was still the same, warm and enveloping.  After his appointment he came to my office and we chatted about our kids. He said the cancer had taken away the two favorite things in life: Enjoying a good meal and a good shit. We hugged. I did not see him again. I learned today that he has died. I am glad for him, that he has passed into a place where I imagine he no longer feels pain and may once again enjoy those pleasures belonging to the body. I am so grateful I was able to hug him one more time and see his smiling face.

  Blessings abound

  • 12:32 pm
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