March 27, 2011 9:30 PM

Another milestone day! This is my 700th posting! I nver figured that it would go this long. But with days like today, it is fairly easy to make a posting and, thus, no reason not to. As I said in my last posting, today was the occasion for the annual cancer survivors brunch. There is nothing more uplifting than to see a room full of upbeat and positive cancer survivors - some still with active cancers and still undergoing treatment. But no one was discouraged, depressed, or otherwise begrudging their situation. However, the most emotional moment came when my first doctor got up to give her speech. As I have said before - she is sonething special. She is a compassionate, caring, knowledgeable, and empathetic person who is beloved by all her patients. So much so, that when she got up to speak, she received a lengthy, standing ovation that obviously affected her very much. At the end of the speech and the question and answer session, she was given another standing ovation followed by someone from the audience going to the podium and putting into words what everyone was conveying by the clapping of hands. To see the emotional connection between this doctor and her patients was breathtaking. It brings you back to the days when the practice of medicine was so much more personal than it is today. Now, I can say that all of my other doctors have been excellent. But, they are not at her level when it comes to the entire package. The compassion and empathy are missing. The program concluded with a cancer survivor woman speaking about her journey and the humorous moments that she has had along the way. Very funny. Very uplifting. Very inspiring. I found that taking your situation and making the most of it brought out the best in all those around me and she echoed that sentiment completely. A wonderul time in my journey and a day to remember... Bob