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Spirituality and cancer
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Today we had an eye-opening grand rounds on "Spiritual Care Across the Cancer Continuum.” It was so different from the usual grand rounds, and I really enjoyed it. For us, grand rounds is bright and early at 8 a.m., and I arrive there a bit disheveled and desperate for a cup of coffee after the hectic morning routine with the kids, and drop-off at school and the sitter's house. So, imagine my surprise when I show up today for a nice, off-the-beaten-track talk on spirituality! Not even one VEGF pathway diagram! (Though, secretly, the chaplains scare me ... just like the pastor at church scares me. I can't explain it, but I tense up around the pastoral types. It's not a bad scary, more of a seeing-your-middle-school-teacher-in-the-grocery-store kind of unsettling. Anyways ...)
She had us read aloud a poem together that I found particularly moving. It is called "Variations on a Theme by Niebuhr" by Wendy Schlessel Harpham. Dr. Harpham is not only an internist, but also a cancer survivor herself, having had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 1990. This poem is about hopes and wishes as one goes through cancer treatment, and is based upon The Serenity Prayer. You can read the full poem here.
One of the best stanzas includes "grant me ... stamina to keep pushing when it can improve the outcome/courage to adjust when now is the best it can be/and wisdom to know the difference." I noticed today there weren't too many physicians in attendance and that's too bad because I find that these "softer" topics often lead to the most personal growth for me.
