Bella

The Warning Sign is specific - "No One Under Age 14 - Beyond This Point - NO EXCEPTIONS." The sign is posted at the entrance of the chemotherapy room where I go. There are over 50 people in that room at any given time to be connected to machines that deliver the chemicals. As you can imagine, people are in various stages of treatment, attitudes, and attire. It is not a pleasant place, but the staff tries to make everyone as comfortable as possible in a positive caring manner.

There’s not much to do while you sit and wait for the clock to tick out the drops that fall from the IVs into your body. Some exchange brief pleasantries, but mostly, we just sit and wait and watch for the nurses to come answer an alarm when it signals the session is over.

Remember the sign clearly stated no exceptions to the policy. Enter Bella, at least that’s the name I heard her called. Bella is about 8 to 10 years old and is pulling a cart filled with give-a-way bags. She is with a member of the facility management and her mother. Bella has gathered, through donations, little things that she sees as helping make a spirit brighter. Then, she assembles the bags with contents and brings them to the cancer center, where they are usually stored and passed out by the nursing staff as patients needs become known. Not, this time, or as I understand, possibly one or two times before. This time Bella wanted to bring each person in that room, a goodie bag of their own - even the lady down the hall in isolation, because she is allergic to peanuts and there might be some brought in by another person.

I was sitting up front and first when she came it. She didn’t say anything, she just handed me a bag and moved on to the next person. I said, "Thank you" as everyone did while the mother and lady from the center smiled. From time, to time, Bella would stop and ask if she could go over to an area, and with permission she went and handed out another bag.

When she had made all stops, the two ladies and Bella left to store the bags she had left - a lot of them go to storage too. I took an opportunity to ask the lady from the center about Bella, so that’s where I got this post. When asked about the no exceptions, she simply stated, "some times there is an exception to no exceptions."  I can assure you that every person there that day had their spirits boosted by an exception - Bella.

A child that sees a need and fills it, feels really good to those that receive.

Thank you Bella. You are the exception.

PMO
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