Chapter 3
"Mrs. Robustellis' assistant here, how may I help you?" came a proficient voice from the other end.
"Hello, Bernadette Peterson here. Mrs. Robustelli has been admitted here to Maryland hospital," I spoke.
"May I please know the address of the hospital, Miss Peterson," she requested.
I then informed her of the address and how I met Maria. After some time, I received a call from the same number.
"Miss. Peterson, I have already informed Mr. Robustelli, he is on his way to Ohio. Please stay by Mrs. Robustelli till he gets there," she said.
"Sure."
I have been sitting here for almost 2 hours now. Nick left for work an hour ago. I had to call in sick for the day. I was in no position to miss a day at work but I just could not leave Maria all by herself.
"Do we have anyone from the patient's family here?" Doctor Sofia said as soon as she stepped out of the emergency room.
"I am," I said as I stood up.
"What I could gather from Mrs. Robustelli's condition is that she may be going through the second stage of Lymphoma. There are swollen lymph nodes in her neck, underarms, and groin regions. She passed out due to fatigue. These are all the symptoms of Lymphoma. Rest we have to wait for the test reports to confirm."
"Is it severe, doctor? Will she be okay?" I asked.
"For that, we have to wait for the reports," she said.
"When can I meet her?"
"She will be up in an hour or so, then you may," she said and left.
After an hour, I walked into the room and sat on one of the two seats beside the hospital bed.
After a few minutes, she squinted her eyes open. She looked around the room and finally, her gaze settled on me. An instant look of recognition appeared on her face.
"Thank you so much, my child," she said in a feeble voice.
"It's nothing ma'am, how are you feeling though?" I asked. I was never good at socializing with people. I consider myself as someone very shy and private.
"Better," she said, nodding.
"I called the number mentioned on your name card and informed your assistant about your condition. After some time your assistant informed me that Mr. Robustelli is on his way here."
She looked so tired and worn out.
"I will get the doctor," I said after a while and left. Once the doctor was there, I stood at the corner of the room.
"How are you feeling Mrs. Robustelli?"
"Better,"
"How long have you been experiencing body aches and fatigue?" the doctor asked.
"For around a year now,"
"Did you consult a doctor regarding the same?"
She shook her head in no.
"Alright, we will get the test results in an hour. Let's see if it is what I think it is." Dr. Anna said before leaving.
"Come here my child," she gestured to me as I sat on the seat.
"Have you informed your parents that you are here?" she asked.
My heart sank and my whole body tensed. I didn't know how to answer her. I kept my gaze on my hands, which were resting on my lap.
"I am an orphan," I managed to say. Almost in a whisper. I looked up to see her eyes holding some sort of warmth and admiration. I was utterly confused.
"No, you are strong. You survived this world alone," she said. Listening to her my heart filled with so many emotions.
"Tell me about yourself, love," she said.
"Umm, ...there's nothing much about me. My name is Bernadette Peterson. I am eighteen and freshly out of high school. I have a friend, Nick..." I told her about all the major events in my life. I also told her about Mama Jones. All the while she was eagerly and patiently listening to me.
Honestly, I don't remember the last time I spoke so much. I felt heard. I felt lighter. Sometimes we just need someone who can hear us out. Sometimes, all we need is an ear.
She then told me that she was born and brought up in Ohio. After her marriage, she moved with her husband to California. Today, in the afternoon, she was visiting the grave of her parents. We both connected as if we have known each other for some years now. But in reality, it's been barely six hours since we have known each other. In these few hours, I could gather that Maria loved conversing. Even in her weak state, she eagerly spoke about her childhood, parents, husband, and son. I couldn't help but smile while listening to her.
Just as we were talking, a distressed middle-aged man barged into the room. Spotting Maria he scampered towards the bed.
"Oh my love, you had me so worried. You left without informing anyone," he said, gently holding her hand.
"I am fine now, look. Meet Bernadette, honey. She is the one who brought me here," she said.
They looked so much in love. Their eyes held so much care and respect for each other.
"Sweetheart, this is my husband David."
She introduced us.
David gave me an appreciative smile.
"Thank you so much, my child," he said, grasping my hand.
"It's nothing, Mr. Robustelli."
As if on cue the doctor and nurse entered with the reports.
"It seems you are in the third stage of Lymphoma, Mrs. Robustelli," the doctor reported.
David visibly shook hearing that.
"We will have to proceed with radiation therapy, for now. Until we find a stem cell donor for bone marrow transplant. We will infuse healthy bone stem cells from the donor into your blood where they will travel to your bones and rebuild your bone marrow," Dr. Anna described.
"Can I be a donor?" I offered. Maria was already in the third stage, so we had to do something as soon as possible.
The doctor nodded and said, "For that, we will have to run a blood test on you to detect your HLA type. We will have to see if you are a match for the patient."
After signing the consent form the nurse immediately collected my blood sample.
"We will have the report by tomorrow," saying that the nurse left. Fortunately, the reports came. I was a suitable donor for Maria. Nick came to visit after a few hours.
I was soon directed to an operating room for the bone marrow harvest. After injecting me with general anesthesia, the marrow cells were taken from the back of my pelvic bone. I was lying face down and a large needle was put through my skin. And into the back of my hip bone. After collecting the pinks, I was taken to the recovery room so that the anesthesia would wear off.
The next day, I experienced a little ache in my lower back. I visited Maria in the afternoon. She had been shifted to a private room.
"I cannot thank you enough for the kindness, child. You are an angel for us," David said with misty eyes.
"Please, it's nothing. I am glad I could help."
I visited Maria every week. In no time, it was already the eighth week of Maria's treatment. They had to shave her head. Nonetheless, she was beautiful. Her body was responding positively to the treatment. She would at times miss her son. For some reason, they couldn't reach their son
Today, Maria was going back to California. I would miss her dearly. I had grown attached to her. I would miss her neverending talks, jokes, and smiles.
Maria was advised of regular cancer screening and medications.
"I will miss you a lot," I said, hugging her. I tried hard to fight back my tears but couldn't.
"I will miss my angel too," she said.
Tears were continuously flowing down her cheeks. We stayed in each other's embrace for a while before pulling away. She placed a kiss on my forehead. David, who was standing a few steps away, walked over to me.
"Bernadette, love, we have something for you. It's very small compared to what you have done for us. But still, we hope it will help you," David said, handing me a white Manila folder.
"Nick told us you want to become a doctor. Here, we have paid for your pre-med courses. From now on, your educational expenses are on us."
They had enrolled me in one of the best pre-med colleges in Ohio. I couldn't believe my eyes. How? I never signed any application.
" Thank you but I can never pay you back such a big amount," I voiced out and attempted to hand him back the folder. But he shook his head.
"Please take this, it is the only way I will be able to return to California with some peace of mind. And you don't have to pay us back anything. We are covering our daughter's college fees. It's nothing in front of what you have done for me." Maria insisted.
At that moment, I couldn't even word my feelings.
"Thank you so much," I said, hugging David. He gently patted my head.
"We should be the one thanking you, my child."
I couldn't thank them enough, I would remain eternally grateful to them all my life. Embracing them for the last time, I bid them a very grey goodbye. A sudden meeting with a stranger changed my whole life.
Their private jet took off and faded away in the limitless sky in no time.
"Life is a journey, and the road we travel has twists and turns which sometimes lead us to unexpected places and unexpected people. But in turn, it always leads us to our destination."
- Igwe Daniel Kelechi
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