Giving Thanks, the Seventeenth Edition

Another person that has meant a lot to me through this ordeal is my therapist Randy. He does not realize how much of a blessing he really is to me. I honestly believe that he was sent to me as an angel straight from God.

I dealt with depression and anxiety issues for almost 10 years. However, I was stubborn and wouldn't pay the money or admit that I needed help. I could handle it on my own... or that's what I thought. Well, the anxiety came to a head in 2007 and John pretty much said, get help or else. Therefore, I finally sought out someone to talk to. This is when I found Randy. I had said many times that if things go bad, I'm never going back. John agreed with this. However, I didn't have to worry one bit. Randy and I hit it off immediately and I was anxious to see what he could do for me. We had been talking for around two months when I was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I remember the day I told him. He was floored... (For the third time since I had been seeing him.) He often found me as an unusual patient because I was not the typical. However, he's talked me through a lot and helped keep me sane. He's reassured me when I needed it, discussed options when I was confused, and watched me for the dreaded changes I was so afraid of. During all of this, he became a friend I could deeply trust.

I remember the very first time I saw him I went in with the impression that it would be my only visit to him. That was quickly changed when I met him. He and I hit it off very quickly and he was very easy to talk to. We had successfully gotten to know each other and had discussed MRIs and what my trigeminal injury might be. I remember very specifically discussing the possibilities that my Neurologist had given about what might be going on in my face/head. We both agreed that it was probably just an irritated nerve. However, my intuition is usually spot on and it told me it wasn't just that. This is why I went in to the doctor after my MRI expecting to be told I had MS. I remember vividly telling him the only thing I was not prepared for was to be told I had a tumor on my trigeminal. It was a remote possibility according to my Neurologist.

The Monday after I found out I had a brain tumor, I had another visit with Randy. I remember asking him if he remembered me telling him what the one thing I was unprepared for was. Of course he remembered but was still floored when I told him what I found. He immediately went into friend mode but also evaluated my mindset as he did so. There have been many times over the last year that I have relied on Randy to help me out and he is always sure to be there.

Randy, thank you for everything.