Letters to the Editor

Friday, June 6, 2008

Roper's great team

I recently finished a four-week course of radiation in the radiation and oncology department at Roper Hospital downtown for a cancerous tumor. I didn't know what to expect. Like many of the people who sit together in the waiting room there, I was anxious and out of sorts.

Radiation can make you feel really sick. You have to go every day, so your life revolves around this serious and frankly depressing appointment. But it didn't turn out that way. Instead, every day, I was greeted by the most upbeat staff I've ever encountered anywhere. The good nature and friendliness were real. I watched for a month as members of the team greeted each of us as a friend.

They were funny, lighthearted, sincere, professional and efficient. You can't fake this day in and day out. It obviously wasn't something their bosses told them to do. It was innate. Despite the lighthearted atmosphere, I never for a second felt they were taking me or my procedure as just one more on an assembly line.

Frankly, I don't know how they do it. The people they treat every day are very sick. But I watched as they improved my mood and the mood of those around me. In fact, as amazing as this seems, they made my visits a pleasure. The others in the waiting room, day after day, also felt it.

To the technicians, nurses, doctors and administrators, thank you.

Jane Lareau

Patriot's Province

Mount Pleasant