Being a police officer, you wear many hats. Besides the obvious role of arresting people who commit crimes or citing people who commit traffic violations, we are also expected by most of the public to be able to do or know anything under the sun. One moment we may be a marriage counselor during a domestic violence, and the next moment we may be consoling a family for the death of a family member. Sometimes we get called because someone just wants advice, they can’t get their child to go to school, or they simply just want a shoulder to lean on.
The walks of life we encounter are so large I can’t even talk about it all in one day. Most of the time we don’t deal with the most well behaved cliental in our society (90% of the time haha). Sometimes, you may deal with someone so rude or see something so horrible it will ruin your day…... Or sometimes your whole week. Some things you see will stick with you forever…..good and bad things. Sometimes, you get the opportunity to do an act of kindness for someone you don’t even know and hear an, “I appreciate you”. Those days make you walk away from your job feeling good. Feeling like you made a difference in someone’s life. I know I can’t change the world but I can sure try to do my best with the resources I am given to help ;)
Today at work was one of those days that will stick with me forever. Jeff and I came across a young lady who truly impacted my outlook on life. Her sincerity and friendliness warmed my heart and I will never forget her. It all started when Jeff and I were investigating a hit and run collision near a Starbucks. Jeff was parked in the parking lot while I was inside the establishment giving the victim some information regarding his report. When I came back outside and sat down inside the police car, Jeff showed me two yellow bracelets that said “Livestrong“ on them (many people are very familiar with these). He told me a woman had come by the car and asked if, “you and your partner would wear them.” Jeff told me the woman had little to no hair and was most likely a cancer patient. A survivor maybe? I opened up the packaging and put the bracelet on. Jeff did the same.
As we sat in the same parking lot typing a report, I saw the female who gave Jeff the bracelets exiting the Starbucks. Her vehicle was parked next to ours. The female was wearing a purple velvet jogging suit. It appeared that she had lost all of her hair minus a little bit of fuzz. Since our window was rolled down, we held our wrists out of the window and thanked her for the bracelets. She responded by saying, “Please pray for us.” We told her we would and the female began to get inside her car. I looked at Jeff and told him I really wish I could hear her story. Jeff responded by asking me if I wanted to go stop her and say a prayer with her. I told him “sure”. We exited the vehicle quickly and stopped her before she could drive off. As Jeff opened her car door (and before we could even ask her what her name was) she stated, “I am so tired.” I looked at her face and saw that she was crying. Jeff and I held out one hand each and she grabbed on while still crying. Jeff asked her what her name was and she told us it was, “Debra.” We all bowed our heads and Jeff led us in prayer. It was a beautiful prayer. A prayer that asked for healing in Debra’s life and thanking God that we crossed paths with someone so great. After the prayer she looked up and told us how wonderful we were. She kissed and hugged us both. Without even asking her what her story was, she began to talk. She told Jeff and I she has Leukemia and was given 11 months to live. She has been battling the nasty disease for three years and recently decided to stop treatment so she could live the remainder of her life without anymore hospitals or medicines. She was “tired.” She went on to tell us about how she just planned her own funeral and her decision to be cremated. It broke my heart to watch her cry and to hear the pain she was enduring. Though she had a roller coaster of emotions, and despite her situation, she was so positive about everything. The conversation continued. We spoke of her journey with cancer, her 4 kids, her grandkids, her life growing up, how people raise their kids now a days, and about God. We even got a few giggles out of her J It was a breath of fresh air to talk to someone as great and free spirited as Debra. It was hard to find the right things to say to her. I just stood there wishing I could say everything to take all her worries away and to make her cancer better. Listening to Debra talk all while keeping a positive outlook over such an unfortunate situation, reminded me that you can always find good in everything no matter how horrible it may seem. Her positive outlook came from her faith in God.
So anyway, Long story short (not really haha), Debra was happy we stopped and let her vent to us. She enjoyed our prayer and our conversation. It brought a smile to her face and I hope it helped make her day for just a little while. I hope she knows that she made my day and I am happy that we crossed paths with her. Debra, Jeff, and I chatted for quite some time in that parking lot. Debra began to get tired so she eventually had to leave. She told both of us that she loved us followed by a kiss on the cheek and a firm hug for each of us. She drove away and waved good bye. I hope she doesn’t stop fighting and I hope she knows that I will always remember her. She has made a positive impact on my life…..so thank you Debra! Keep fighting J
