When heroes become friends

I wouldn’t say I have a lot of friends. I do know a lot of people.

My health with cerebral palsy, diabetes, and my more recent breast health and surgery has placed me in the atmosphere of truly amazing medical professionals. 

These are some of my most trusted people. Some of it is the professional nature of the reason I’m in the office to begin with. Occasionally though, we build enough rapport that we can form a relationship outside of the professional environment. 

It’s a very rare thing when that happens.  I can count on one hand how many of these relationships I have. I cherish them because the milestones that I share with them are hard won.

I just shared my recent surgery with my first hand therapist from my very first upper extremity surgery over 10 years ago. And, her thoughts were so welcome. She has retired so now I get to explore with her in retirement. 

I hope that as I continue to heal from surgery and graduate from care, I can have a similar relationship with my surgeon. She is a truly amazing person that if I’d met outside of her office,  we 💯 be best friends. 

Friendships that are built and continue from that context are the safest in my life. They understand the nuances of my health. They can determine true crises from a blip. They celebrate every win and encourage from every failure because they get how important both are.