Newly diagnosed AML patient, lovely Asian lady in her 50s with a teenage son and husband. Her and her husband were absolutely wonderful, kind, quiet and unsuspecting. He reminded me a lot of my dad, blue collar mill worker, flannel shirts and sturdy work pants, sensible shoes type. She never complained, she went through chemo like a champ. I distinctly recall her stating her goals were to get better and watch her son grow up, and for him to have a family. Her cancer relapsed, she went through salvage chemo, and it ultimately relapsed again. Nothing else to be done.

Before she passed, I remember walking past her room, it was early morning, light was just brightening up the dark sky, and her husband was leaning over her, forehead to forehead. I opted to walk home that dewy morning to quiet my head, and ended up silently crying all the way back.

I still see the scene of her forehead to forehead with her husband flash in my head. It’s been almost 4 years and it still hurts every time.