Today's Helping of Chicken Soup

[Guest guest]

A Pocket Full of Quarters

Searra, an eight-year-old brain tumor patient, had become a

" regular " in the Radiation Oncology Department, much like the

other patients who came to the cancer center everyday for a

five- or six-week period. With my office located near the main

entrance, I could hear Searra, also called CC, coming from a

distance.

Sure enough, she would pop her head in every morning around

10:00 a.m. to say, " hi, " or, more importantly, to check out the

toys and coloring materials I had stashed in my office. Several

steps behind, CC's grandmother, also called " Mommie, " since she

served as her guardian, would come trailing in as she tried to

keep up with CC's anxious pace.

CC was not the least bit interested in hearing more about

her cancer or her hair loss. When she walked into the

department, it was time to socialize with the staff, who became

her instant friends, and to see what kind of masterpiece she

could color for her " Mommie " before she was called back for her

treatment.

I was taken aback by the genuine love CC had for her

" Mommie. " Whenever I would ask about her home life, her school

work, or even how she was feeling, every response referred to

her time spent with her " Mommie, " the funny stories they shared,

and how much she loved her. On numerous occasions, CC made it

clear that her " Mommie " was the center of her world.

When CC was first being treated with radiation therapy, the

therapists told her that they would give her a quarter each day

if she promised to keep her head still on the treatment table.

Certainly, after six weeks of therapy, she had a pocketful of

quarters! So, on the last day, the therapists wanted to know

what big toy she was going to buy with all her change. CC

replied, " Oh, I am not going to buy a toy. I am going to buy

something for 'Mommie' because of all the nice things she does

for me. "

CC's sincerity, unselfishness, warmth, and loyalty to her

" Mommie " have taught me about what is really important in life.

She constantly shows that loving others with true commitment is

the best gift you could give another - whether it is a family

member or a friend. Certainly, CC has an excuse to complain or

to be angry at the world for her childhood is being lived

totally different than the other children in her third grade

class. I have never heard her complain about her bald head, her

swollen face and body as a result of the steroids, or her

inability to have the same energy level to play outside. CC

continues to live her life the way she has chosen, and that

includes giving of herself to make the world a better place for

others and especially her " Mommie. "

CC has been a reminder to me to not take for granted those

people I love and to look beyond the superficiality that is

often found in living life day by day. I have been reminded to

be more thankful for what I have today and to not dwell on what

is behind me or what lies ahead. CC, just like many, many other

cancer patients, is the true example that we aren't always dealt

the perfect hand, so we have to make the best of what we have

today.

I have thought more about those people who fill my life

with happiness. I have continued to love and to be thankful for

those people with whom I would want to share my " pocket full of

quarters. "

By Anne C. Washburn