Playing the Hand I'm Dealt

I was talking with a wonderful woman in rehab today. We have known each other for about a year and her husband is in my Tuesday/Thursday rehab class.

She was very frustrated over all the blockades and hoops she has to jump through for a kidney transplant. We talked. I said that writing these blogs has made me realize that living with a bad diagnosis is a matter of constantly adjusting, to staying upright and moving forward with conviction that it will all work out. Keep jumping through the hoops and break down the barriers.

She also begins to worry about things that have yet to happen and feels defeated. Another lesson I passed along to her was one that was the hardest for me to adopt. I pledged that I would not worry about something until I was given cause to worry. This is especially helpful while awaiting test results.

I was raised in a Chicago suburb where summer heat and winter snows kept us inside for many months. We played a lot of games but our family especially loved to play cards. My dad was an excellent Gin Rummy player and refused to “throw” a game so any of us kids would win. I finally beat him on my wedding day. Ah, it was so sweet to finally win.

One lesson I learned from him is that if you are dealt a bad hand, play it out. Don’t fold.

I have been dealt a bad hand, my disease was not caused by anything that I had done, but I am going to play it out and not fold.

My final words to my friend today were, “Don’t fold.”

Next: The Music Stopped