Dear Judy,
All my life — I am now 30 — I have hated hospitals, sickness, the smell of sickness even.
I have an older sister who has breast cancer, and it isn’t looking good. I live in LA, she lives in a suburb of Detroit, and my whole family (6 of us..) is supposed to go out to visit her in May. I really can’t. The whole idea makes me sick.
I love my sister. But I don’t want to see her sick and dying. What can I do?
Renee
Dear Renee,
You wanted me to give you an easy out? Sorry.
Look at it this way. Let’s say the situation were reversed. Let’s say you were the one with a terrible illness. What would you want?
Isolation? The sick have enough of that already.
Revulsion? They get that too.
Fear? Yes, they are well acquainted with fear. Their own and the fear of others when they visit.
So go. Ask your doctor for tranquilizers, if you need them.
But go.
Thanks for writing
Judy
