Consent Form

I’m always impressed by the resilience and apparent boundless optimism of some of my patients. Faced with devastating illness and sometimes bleak prospects for the future, these exceptional individuals exhibit grace and enduring good humor at times difficult for many to even imagine. I try to learn from them, and hope that some day I will be able to be at least a pale reflection of their courage when burdened with my own cross. They also serve as continual reminders of the fragility of human life, the need to be mindful of the moment, of our good fortune, and to be thankful for the blessings of good health, family and friends. At this time of the year, the following poem clearly expresses this message. Be well, and a Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

 

Consent Form With Signature

 

She says if she loses her legs

 

she will be okay;

 

she will focus on immediate rewards –

 

learning alone

 

to drop from bed to wheelchair,

 

dressing, using the bathroom.

 

Her mind,

 

her intelligence,

 

are undiminished,

 

and the zeppelin of imagination

 

unmoored from the ground of the body –

 

ascendant.

 

Her soul soars. She’s not waiting –

 

the path of grace, she says, might be faster on wheels.

 

 

Richard Jones