Through this whole adventure, its the techs that make it easier. Doctors are good. But they spend so little time with you. Once you have gone thru their area, chemo, surgery, radiation etc, you drop off their radar. The nurses, techs, office staff, they are the real troopers. I cannot enumerate the little kindnesses. Comments on hair, nails, jewelry. Chocolate. Sincere comments. So much patience. Polite conversation. Civility. It makes you feel human. And one thing I crave is to just feel a bit of normalcy.

Observing the rules of formality give a framework that allows the awkwardness of the physical exposure, a way to be handled. It somehow makes it not the center of attention. The attention is on me as a person, not on my cancer/illness. Its hard to explain. A good technician distracts and focuses you on what makes you a human being. For brief moments, the screaming in your head quiets. Its serious shit but its not who you are.