Last week I received a request from my publisher from a fellow named Scott requesting an autographed copy of my book, A Therapist’s Garden, as a gift. I agreed to contact Scott and discovered from him and a @gofundme account (whose page is reproduced here) that he is diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. He has been fighting this for the past two years, made more difficult by COVID-19 and has difficulties making ends meet.
I quickly popped a book into the mail, no questions asked, letting him know and wishing him well. He thanked me telling me how he appreciated the offer and that he would be undergoing more chemotherapy treatments in the weeks to come.
When I work with clients, particularly those with cancer, I reflect on my own good luck and that of my family as everyone appears healthy and well. But I am reminded by Scott that such fortune cannot be taken for granted as a simple phone call, e-mail or letter can change the trajectory of one’s life. Scot asked me to keep him in my thoughts and prayers. He will be hard to forget.
1 Comment
This is an appropriate place to note that the anti cancer compounds vincristine and
vinblastine derive from the periwinkle plant, as well as the anti cancer drug
taxol originating from the yew. Another mechanism by which plants help man.