Cora and I had a busy 2 days at Mayo this week. It's always brings a smile to my face when I see the positive reception that is given to us by the patients and their families. Today brought not only that big smile, but also, filled my heart with pride. A gentleman that was waiting for his radiation treatment had several questions about therapy dogs and how they functioned in the medical setting. After several minutes of telling him about the training involved and how we volunteer our time with the dogs, he looked down at Cora who was stretched out across his feet and said, "You are heroes, to be sharing in our moment of weakness"!
Wow, I never would have imagined anyone calling us a hero. Looking up the true definition, it states, "a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act".
Strange thing is that I look at these patients and draw strength from them. They stare cancer in the face, they fight and sometimes they win. Hero, well I'm still not sure that the term fits. But I do know that Cora helps provide a diversion from the obvious. For a short time, the encounter between dog and patient makes cancer take a back seat. Therapy Dog teams have a positive influence on both the mental and phyical state of the people they encounter.
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