A Piece of Good Advice

I am in the middle of my PM&R rotation at downtown Baylor right now. (PM&R = physical medicine and rehabilitation, also know as Plenty of Money and Relaxation). TBI stands for traumatic brain injury. The patients on this service have all suffered, obviously, brain injury, most commonly in the form of MVA (motor vehical accident), CVA (cerebrovascular accident) or anoxic brain injury from drug OD, etc. Many patients are young, and some are left severely disabled for the rest of their lives due to their injury. Unable to move, unable to speak. Often, the family members of these patients are always by their sides, pushing their loved ones in wheelchairs to rehab, helping to interpret the patient's tangled words for the doctors. One day, after coming out of the room of a particular patient who's devoted mother was at the bedside, the seasoned doctor said to me, "you know, I use to pray that nothing horrible would happen to anyone in my family, but now I just pray that God will give me the strength and courage in that situation."

I was touched by that comment. And I think I really needed to hear it. Sometimes, I'm prone to live in fear of the unknown and the future, but fear can do nothing but paralyze me. I need to pray more often for God to give me strength and courage to weather through life's trauma and tragedies. . . like so many amazingly strong family members do I 've see in the hospital.