The word is out among my patients that I'm good at cutting things off of people.

[AnneD]

13. Yeah....

I started out as an aide in the Head and Neck clinic at MD Anderson. I remember the Head Nurse asked me if the site of people that were post facial reconstruction surgery would upset me. I told her that I really didn't know, but if it did, I would let her know. She appreciated my honesty and they hired me anyway.

It was really funny but it never phased me, and I saw things that would churn most folks stomachs. Now I could not sit through a sinus irrigation, despite my best attempts but that was it. In fact, I became the best translator they had. I even amazed myself at what I could understand as people using flaps, partial tongues, etc. and it could sometimes be difficult and they would feel self conscious.

The best one was when a woman came in only speaking Arabic. She had her son translating. I was asking her routine questions and was writing down the answers before he son finished translating. Then she asked me a question. Before the son even translated, I told her I had one daughter. Amazed, he asked me if I spoke Arabic. I told him no but that all mothers spoke the same language. He translated and we all laughed. She ask again and before he translated I told her my daughter's name was Leila. The son said he knew I spoke Arabic because Leila is Arabic. I told him it was a pretty name (they wouldn't understand Eric Clapton) and that it was popular in the 1800's. Until they came in I had never met anyone from SA, but they thought I was holding out. They were my favorite patients and were always kind to me.