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“Well, you either have liver disease, Hepatitis B or liver cancer,” my doctor said looking over my chart.

You know in those Hollywood movies when they deliver bad news to the hero and this loud ringing always occurs, blocking out all other words? That’s pretty accurate.

Getting the news was shocking enough. But what was to follow? This was my first time dealing with something like this. The first time is always the scariest. Do I panic? Stay calm? Freak out?

Three months after getting the news about my liver, I found myself laying in a hospital bed. The time for my biopsy had arrived. To say I was freaked out would be an understatement. Before that day, I had never had a biopsy or a procedure.

I had no idea what was going on or what was going to happen.

I knew two things for sure. First: all the rooms must have been taken because my room was the refrigerator and it was COLD. Second: hospital gowns provide zero insulation.

The nurse, who I think was assigned to me, would periodically walk up, ask me some questions and then disappear. No one explained anything. What’s that machine for? Why are you poking me? Could this gown be any thinner? What was that beep?!?

At that time, my favorite TV show was “House”. Almost every week, the patient always hid some little fact from the doctors which resulted in the patient almost dying. With my luck, my kidneys would shut down because the anesthesia would have an adverse reaction with the Snicker’s bar I ate yesterday.

When the nurse returned, I confessed to eating the Snicker’s bar which prompted a funny look.

I apologized for my nervousness and explained this was my first procedure.

Shock filled the nurse’s face. You’re almost 40 and never had a procedure before?

Nope.

Then the demeanor of the nurse completely changed. She was glued to the side of my bed. Every time something would happen, she would explain to me in detail what was going on.

That made me feel mucho better.

At some point, they slipped a mickey into my IV bag and I was super groggy. The nurse escorted me the entire way to the operating room and told me she would be there when I got out.

The biopsy came and went. For the next 6 hours, I would weave in and out of the waking world. Every time my eyes opened, Joelle was keeping me company and also the nurse was there, checking up on me.

You can study, read all you can but having someone who has experienced what you’re going through can make things better. Now you know you’re not alone.

Unfortunately in real estate, this happens far too often.

Many moons ago, when I purchased my very first property, my agent vanished after we went into escrow. He called me once, telling me when the inspection would happen. After that, nada. Three weeks into escrow I called him just to know if I was still purchasing the property.

Believe it or nuts, the biggest complaint people have with agents is that when escrow opens they never hear from the agent. There’s a “You’ll figure it out” mentality that takes over. Meanwhile, the home-buyer is getting stacks of paperwork from FedEx, documents and disclosures to be signed electronically, legal decisions that need to be made … it can get overwhelming.

When I launched my business, I made it a point to ensure that none of my clients felt abandoned. It’s a big deal to purchase a home so, like clockwork, I’m checking in twice a week making sure everything is going smoothly: educating and informing as needed.

Just like that nurse did for me.

I’ll never forget that nurse. Just being present, explaining what was going on gave me a measure of comfort in a very tense time. Thanks to her patience, she made my first “procedure” much less nerve wracking.

By the by, I don’t have liver disease, Hepatitis B or liver cancer. Before my biopsy, I decided to lose 20 pounds. In my blood work, all the bad numbers went back to normal including the indicators for my liver problems. I’m part of that 0.02% of the population this happens to, at least according to the specialist.
Joelle and I were relieved beyond words.

“One Person Can Make a Difference and Everyone Should Try.”
– John F Kennedy.

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