"The Price of Freedom Can Be Seen Here"

Today was a chemo day so this isn't a project post. Just a post about my day. 

I know I've mentioned several times that Amazing Boyfriend has cancer. What I might now have mentioned is that he's receiving his chemotherapy treatment at the Veteran's Hospital in Portland, Oregon. We feel so blessed that this is happening since when we first found out that he had cancer, he didn't have health insurance. 

Then we found out that because he served four years active duty in the US Coast Guard that he qualified for medical benefits. 

 

Every time we got to the hospital, I see this quote over a doorway that you see when you walk from the parking garage to the elevators to go to the lobby. 

"The price of freedom can be seen here." 

Never has another statement been more true about the VA Hospital. There is definitely a sense of camaraderie between all the patients and even some of the staff, who will tell you when and where they served, maybe a story or two. You will always have at least one person, if not more, strike up a conversation with you while you're in the waiting room (because you do a LOT of waiting while you are there for one thing or another). You hear grandparents or parents talking about their children or grandchildren who have joined the service with pride. You also hear veteran's swapping war stories from time to time. When people find out what you're there for, they always say good luck and God bless, which is so kind.

.So today was a chemo day, which always sucks because Amazing Boyfriend's treatments are already really long, but add in doctors appointments that have to be done before treatment, as well as a heavy patient load and understaffed chemo unit and there is a lot of waiting. ABF always gets really nauseous from his treatments and it's not uncommon for him to make a few trips to the bathroom before we leave for the day. 

In other words, chemo days are not my favorite. 

But I did something today that made me feel really good. Even now, thinking about it makes me smile. 

At one point of the day, I went down to the pharmacy to drop off a prescription to be filled. The pharmacy is always backed up, so I figured I'd drop it off, get a scone from the coffee stand in the lobby and head back up to the chemo unit. 

So I ordered my scone, and while I'm waiting for the girl to put it in a bag and ring me up, I see an older gentlemen with a walker come up to the glass bakery case and very politely ask another girl who was working what the best pastry was. His demeanor was so polite that it made me smile. The girl who was helping me, gave me back my change, and when she saw me pause as I was putting it back in my wallet asked me if she could get me anything else. I gave her a five dollar bill and told her that I was buying whatever the gentlemen wanted, indicating the gentlemen with the walker, and for her to keep the change. I gave the gentlemen a smile and was walking away when the girl at the register told him his pastry was taken care of. I heard him ask who had done something so nice just before I turned the corner and got onto the elevator. 

On the ride up, I couldn't stop smiling. I know that it's a silly little gesture, but it made me feel really good on a day where I generally end up feeling really crappy. Not only that, but knowing that I did something nice for a veteran, who served our country, makes it just that much better. 

I'm a really big supporter of our troops. I might not agree with the wars that they are sent to fight, but regardless, these men and women deserve our respect for fighting for our freedom.

 Have you thanked a veteran lately?