Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see a shadow. – Helen Keller
I took Helen Keller’s thought as a good omen.
In spite of several months of vigorous physical therapy treatment following a diagnosis of cerebellitis, my condition had not improved significantly.
The encouragement, support, and friendly persuasion offered by Laura and Dr. Koch finally overcame my reluctance to seek a second opinion.
Dr. Koch strongly recommended the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Laura and I agreed.
Sitting across from Dr. Madden, Laura and I explained our reasons for seeking a second opinion. Without hesitation, he recommended several university hospitals.
“What do you think of the Mayo Clinic?” I asked.
“The Mayo Clinic is excellent, and unique,” he answered. “I would certainly recommend it. As a matter of fact, I trained there.”
After a few minutes of discussion with Laura, I asked Dr. Madden to make an appointment for me.
The appointment secretary at the Mayo Clinic called the next day and scheduled me for May 1. She said I would be receiving some information concerning my appointment and the clinic in a few days.
Two days later, a large manila envelope arrived.
As a neurological patient, I could expect to spend four days at the clinic. Laura and I wondered what could take so long, but finally we decided we would find out when we got there. – Excerpts from “I‘m Afraid”
For four months, Laura and I were living under a dark, menacing cloud of anxiety, doubt and uncertainty.
A ray of light pierced the darkness; the Mayo Clinic might provide the answer we hoped for: confirmation of the diagnosis, timely treatment and resolution, or the discovery of another condition that could be treated successfully.
As the date of the appointment drew closer, Laura and I began to view the trip to the world-renowned Clinic with adventurous anticipation tempered by cautious optimism.
Regardless of the outcome, we felt it would be a welcome reprieve from the worry and uncertainty of the last few months, and an experience we would neither regret nor forget.
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The saga continues in my next blog.
Do Not Be Afraid!!!