I recently lost someone in death that had little impact on my life, yet her death looms large in my waking hours and has led me to write this post. Her name was
Anita. She was 57 years old and died in her sleep on Dec. 17th, either of a heart attack or an aneurysm. She was a porter at the small regional hospital I work at.
In my course of work as a medical radiation technologist, I came into contact with Anita on a weekly, if not daily basis at times as she would drop off a patient for me, or pick one up to return to the nursing floor. She was excellent at her work, very conscientious, timely and kind towards the patients. We only exchanged hellos and the typical how-are-you-doing pleasantries. The last time I saw her was 5 days previous to her passing. When I was told the news, I (and many others) could not/would not believe it. Yet, it was true. Our department took up a collection for the charity of her choice and now Anita is at rest.
The point I am wanting to make is that had she been ill, we would have visited her or sent along a 'Get Well' card. We would have told her she was dearly missed at work, and how good a porter she was. With her sudden passing, we never had a chance to express our feelings.
This is what I propose: if you know of an "Anita" in your life, take a moment to commend them and tell them how much you appreciate them. You never know what tomorrow may bring.
