Mole (12)

There are two buildings connected with a bridge at Jamaa Street, called King Hussein Cancer Center- KHCC, AKA (Al-Amal).

Today I had a Non-routine scan at KHCC, which requires injection with nuclear medicine (Maddeh Mushe3a - "Abu Lotfi") and it’s a must NOT to be around other non-patients for like a few hours -as it may harm- till you get rid of it. This is the longest scan preparation that takes (3 – 4) hours before going under the machine to be scanned.

Meanwhile, you will be abandon with the rest of the patients waiting for your body to understand what the hell is going on, along with your turn. This time, I used the magic word “Mar7ab, Salamteko” for them to relax and start a conversation and share the journey – if they wish however no push, and its hell 4 hours of waiting - although it is a must to be relaxed not to exhaust your energy so this medicine be absorbed properly, yet we almost held a meeting:), that forced the doctor to come in and say: Ola, ente bel zaat oskoti :).

You will be amazed under the roof of this building how honest and open you become to the limit you would share your Bank account number with the rest, simply because “Gabba3at”. Today I met like 3 new patients "in our age" with a whole different experiences, cancer types, and suffers that ended with phone numbers exchange- and made me to think my phone inbox won’t take it anymore, I’m getting an external hard desk :) -.

This place hosts the most caring, and professional workers/ patients, that you won’t believe it till you become a member of this club. The least I can say: they are “Benign”.

One of the simplest things I always appreciated, that they are “Off” on Thursdays and “On” on Saturdays; this almost saved me when I was reporting to work and had to balance the load I had by using Saturdays.

Today’s scan was exhausting; I had to lift my both shaking arms above my head and not to move. I failed, I couldn’t do it myself. When a very generous nurse took the risk to her life and held "touched" my arms to stay settle so i can be scanned, adding to that, she shared her “personal” life with no embracement during my 20 minutes shakes.

Once we are done, and she made sure the photos are for me and not for “Shakeera” I wanted to hug her from my heart, so she can feel my heart beats thanking her for doing that. You would say she did her job. I say she gave me the most entertaining and relief scan I ever experienced with “tsunami” and “Abu Lotfi”.

I’m not trying to make “le vie en rose” out of there, but simply KHCC is my second home.