Analogy of the Dishcloth
There are some people who, when your life
intersects with theirs, change you simply by virtue of knowing them, and seeing
the life they are striving to live. JoAnne is one such person for me.
My initial acquaintance with her was as name on my
Relief Society roster. I hadn't had a chance to meet her because her
health issues prevented her from attending Relief Society. She was called
as my Visiting Teaching District Supervisor in November 2012. After
reporting my VT to her around the 15th of the month, she brought me a knitted
dishcloth and thanked me for taking the time to report to her. That dishcloth
was the beginning of my friendship with JoAnne; and is still my favorite cloth.
As I told her how much I liked my cloth a week
later, and how I wished I knew how to make one, she replied with her invitation
"Well come over to my house, and I will teach you how to make one."
I smiled and thanked her; however I really didn't think more about it for
a month or so. She was going to Salt Lake City to see a doctor over the
holidays and we were busy with my daughter’s upcoming wedding.
JoAnne had been struggling with issues with her
lungs--years of stain glass work with no mask, and dust from ceramics
apparently leaves your lungs with particles of glass, and eventually makes it
difficult to use your lungs. Almost a year ago now, (Jan 2013) I heard
that she had been taken to Salt Lake City to be considered for a lung
transplant. The doctor examined her physical heart--which was weakened
with the extra stress of pulling the air from her damaged lungs. He told her that not only would she be unable
to survive a lung transplant, but also that her heart may be in emanate danger
of failure as well.
He instructed her that the only way to prolong
her life, would be to cart around oxygen everywhere she went, and use it
24-7. In addition, she would be required to constantly monitor her heart
rate and oxygen levels. Any activity that decreased her oxygen number to
less than 75 would have to be eliminated from her daily activities.
Counseling her he added that anything less than 75 would cause further
damage to her heart, and shave time off the amount of time he thought she had
left.
Soon
afterwards I found the opportunity to take her up on her offer to teach me to
knit and crochet. JoAnne patiently talked me through the need to use 100%
cotton yarn, emphasizing
