An Opportunity

When you are a member of the cancer club and you meet someone who has just joined, it is an opportunity to help them find their way through a maze of conflicting fears and questions.
On Saturday Frank and I went to a Toyota dealer to buy a Prius. Our daughter Katie and her husband Bruce need a good car to transport our Grandson Oliver around. Katie's car is very old and  not safe for a car seat. Bruce's is old as well. So we decided to give them Frank's Corolla and get a Prius for Frank. We are so fortunate to be able to do this for them.
We have a dealer that we like here and have bought three cars from them over the years, Toyota of Poway. It seems that March is the month that they clear their 2011 cars to make way for the 2012  models. Sure enough they had a car that fit the bill for us. We made an initial call and talked to the manager. He told us the car advertised was still available.
When we arrived we were assigned a sales person. The car we wanted was being sold. So we were looking at a 2012 for about $1500  more. Still not a bad deal. We had just sat down to begin discussions when the manager came over and introduced himself. He told us that the people who were buying the car we wanted backed out and it was now available.
As our salesperson gathered information from us and for us, we chatted with the manager. The conversation strayed to other topics and for some reason I told him I was being treated for cancer. I think it came about because we were talking about Frank's military service and that we had Tricare insurance because of that.
The manager told us that he was about to start treatment for colon cancer. He found out a few days ago after a routine colonoscopy.
I said to him, 'Look at me! Two days ago I had  4 powerful chemotherapy drugs put in my body over a 6 hour period.' He was amazed, as obviously I was feeling great! I told him it wouldnt be as bad as he thinks. I told him that over the years they have perfected techniques of treating cancers. They know what side effects to expect and take measures to prevent them as much as possible.   It isn't going to be a walk in the park. But it is doable.
He seemed relieved to talk to someone who had 'been there' and was doing ok. At one point I pulled off my wig in the middle of the car dealership to show him bald. He was in his 50's and had a nice head of hair. I could see that hair loss was weighing on his mind.
I felt it would take away some of the stigma to see someone who was adjusting to one of the most visible and personal signs that someone that has or had cancer recently.
As we went out to claim our new car I stopped by the manager's office and said, 'Don't worry, it will grow back. It's only hair' He seemed relieved.
Paying it forward is the best!