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How One Woman Found Hope Instead of Despair
 Carla* fell into her chair at the Samaritan Center like a bucket of bricks. The scent of McDonald’s crept in behind her, pervading the entire room. She had just gotten off work.
She wished she could now head directly to a second job, but she knew that was an impossibility. “It would be a death wish, Carla,” her doctor had told her again and again. “What you need is a surgery, not a second job. Your tumor is ransacking your body badly enough without additional stress.”
Gnawing nervously at her fingernails, Carla had wanted to scream. Stress?! What did he know about stress?!
Her doctor didn’t know or care that her water and electricity were about to be shut off, that she was raising three teenage boys alone without any child support, or that she couldn’t afford to take the six weeks off that the tumor’s surgery would require for recovery.
Didn’t he understand that she wished she could follow doctor’s orders? Didn’t he understand that she really did want to be well? But with no savings to fall back on and no family she could ask for help, Carla's situation was looking grim.
That’s why she was at the Samaritan Center today. She didn’t want to get her hopes up, but secretly she wished she might find help, an encouraging smile, and a few moments in a room with someone who cared.
She was not to be disappointed. By the time her story was through, her face was streaked and her eyes were swollen, but her heart felt like it had taken wings.
The Center would help with this month’s water and electricity bills so that she save for the future. They would assist her with clothing for her growing boys and Thanksgiving food for her barren cupboards. Best of all, if her church were willing to partner financially with the Center, they could help her make it through the six weeks required for recovery from her surgery.
With thanksgiving pouring from her lips, Carla walked on air towards the door, her steps infused with a new level of confidence, her lips curling into a long-forgotten smile.
Someone cared. She wasn’t alone. And next time she could tell the doctor what he wanted to hear.
*For confidentiality's sake, this individual's name has been changed.
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