I'm Glad It Happened to Me

I believe it may have been a good 15 to 20 years ago, when I glimpsed on the news a woman who was being interviewed due to the rare but fatal illness she had. She was older, but not old. She had wild gray curls, was a bit chubby perhaps, and had a young smile. While my memory fails to recall the details of her name, location, or even what type of disease she had, I explicitly and clearly remember one thing:

In response to the question about what it's like for her to have this disease-death-sentence, she earnestly said, "I'm glad it happened to me and not to someone else who couldn't handle it like I can." To this day, her response stuns me into humbled awe.

A clinical cynic might say, "Well, she clearly had processed through the stages of denial, anger, and grief and simply accepted her condition." I'm sorry, Cynic, but it is one thing to accept your horrid situation and quite another to be glad of it for altruistic reasons.

Whoever she was, she stands in my memory as an inspiration. I share the story, so that perhaps she can continue to be an inspiration for others as well.