One day I went to the home of one of my support group members. She had cancer of the tongue, and owing to her disease and treatment, her tongue was swollen and protruded from her mouth. Her head, face, and neck were swollen with fluid, and to see out of one eye she had to keep her head tilted.

Her appearance and the odor of her bedroom made me immediately think about how quickly I could make an excuse for leaving without offending her. While I was thinking she wrote a note and handed it to me. I wrote an answer and handed it back. She wrote again and handed her note to me. It said, "You don't need to write notes, and can talk."

I found myself laughing and was touched by her ability to have humor even in her condition. She bacame beautiful in that moment. I laughed and embraced her, and two hours later was interrupted by a call from my wife about a meeting I was expected at. I was so sorry to have to leave one of the most beautiful women I had ever known.

Excerpt from 365 Prescriptions for the Soul by Dr. bernie S. Siegel