Stronger Than The Affliction

I had a good talk this morning with one of our clients. She is in her late 70s or early 80s and has been diagnosed with cancer. Despite all her treatments, the numbers now look great. She’s stronger now than she was before her diagnosis. We discussed our infusions and how our bodies feel, and we both concluded that even though these things have happened to us, we are blessed. We’re blessed because no matter what we’re going through, we can handle it. I shared a story about when I first lost my kidney, and I was with Dr. Vella. He explained to me what might happen if I had a transplant, and I remember thinking out loud, “I don’t think I want a transplant. I don’t want these things to happen to me.” He got up from his chair, came around, and said, “Yes, you do, because even though these things might happen, you’ll be strong enough to handle them.” That’s how we came up with the phrase ‘stronger than affliction.’ Sometimes we complain about how hard things are, but until a situation actually tests us, we don’t know how much we can handle. I never realized how strong I was until I got sick. I didn’t know how mentally strong I was until I dealt with people who couldn’t handle even a part of what I could. It reminds me of a time I was talking to a social worker. They sent me through a battery of tests to see if I could physically and mentally handle a transplant. He asked me, ‘When times are hard, who do you turn to? Who is your backbone?’ I told him, ‘No one.’ He said, ‘Everyone needs someone to fall on to help them out because this could be a hard road.’ I told him I’ve been through hell many times and come out the other side. If I couldn’t handle it, there would be no one to lean on. What I’m saying is, sometimes you have to depend on yourself because sometimes there will be no backup—so if you want to take the island, burn the boats.

strengthen your vessel so it can weather any storm

Refuse 2B Feeble