As many of you already know, our fellow teacher, Ms. Hamilton, has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and will not be returning to the classroom. She is in the process of returning to her home state to be with her family there. However, she has been held up in town longer than expected due to the worsening of her condition. She is at the hospital now and will be there through the weekend and probably into next week. I wanted to let everyone know about this now so that - if any one of you are going to be in town over the weekend - you might have the chance to visit her. I know that she would like a visit or a phone call from you.
Thank you, friends.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Friday, November 2, 2007
The News Was Not Good at All
This was a day being anticipated with dread. Two weeks ago, Ms Hamilton, my teacher partner, went into town for some medical tests. She was sent home without finding out the results. Her doctor simply told her that he’d call in the middle of the next week to tell her what they found. When the doctor called on Wednesday, he told her that she had small cell lung cancer. He scheduled her to come back for another appointment one week and a day later to discuss the diagnosis and the prognosis. Today was that day.
Since Ms Hamilton doesn’t have anyone here in the state to help her, Wifey offered to go to Ms Hamilton’s appointment with her. They were with the doctor for several hours, and the news was not good at all. The median life expectancy for stage four lung cancer with treatment is eight to nine months.
It was an emotional time, of course, for Ms Hamilton but also for Wifey. It is hard to hear that kind of news and to suddenly be faced with the reality and gravity of the situation. There is no way to imagine what it must be like to get such news. I am glad that Wifey was able to be there with her during that difficult time. There are, no doubt, more difficult times ahead.
It is certainly the case that Wifey and I have had conflicting emotions about Ms Hamilton and about having her as a partner in this place. It has been abundantly clear that she is not a good fit for this teaching assignment and that she is very unhappy here. I think we have all been looking for solutions to that problem. But there suddenly seems to be no sense in finding fault with her outlook on life or her approach with children. There is so much with which to find fault, but all of that is suddenly rendered moot. The love and compassion for another human being overshadows any other consideration at a time like that.
And I am once again marveling at our time here in this tiny town. Our time here will leave an indelible mark on our lives and will certainly change the course of a few others’ lives as well. If we had not come here, what would have become of Jme? No one had any positive options left for her, and I have to believe the course of her live is forever changed. What would Ms Hamilton have done had we not been here? Without close family of her own, we are closer to her than probably anyone else. It has been a good thing (and often a chore, without a doubt) to be available to serve a (in the case literally) neighbor.
And even with the new information that today has brought, we still do not know what the next season will bring.
Since Ms Hamilton doesn’t have anyone here in the state to help her, Wifey offered to go to Ms Hamilton’s appointment with her. They were with the doctor for several hours, and the news was not good at all. The median life expectancy for stage four lung cancer with treatment is eight to nine months.
It was an emotional time, of course, for Ms Hamilton but also for Wifey. It is hard to hear that kind of news and to suddenly be faced with the reality and gravity of the situation. There is no way to imagine what it must be like to get such news. I am glad that Wifey was able to be there with her during that difficult time. There are, no doubt, more difficult times ahead.
It is certainly the case that Wifey and I have had conflicting emotions about Ms Hamilton and about having her as a partner in this place. It has been abundantly clear that she is not a good fit for this teaching assignment and that she is very unhappy here. I think we have all been looking for solutions to that problem. But there suddenly seems to be no sense in finding fault with her outlook on life or her approach with children. There is so much with which to find fault, but all of that is suddenly rendered moot. The love and compassion for another human being overshadows any other consideration at a time like that.
And I am once again marveling at our time here in this tiny town. Our time here will leave an indelible mark on our lives and will certainly change the course of a few others’ lives as well. If we had not come here, what would have become of Jme? No one had any positive options left for her, and I have to believe the course of her live is forever changed. What would Ms Hamilton have done had we not been here? Without close family of her own, we are closer to her than probably anyone else. It has been a good thing (and often a chore, without a doubt) to be available to serve a (in the case literally) neighbor.
And even with the new information that today has brought, we still do not know what the next season will bring.
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