Grown up clinic

Thanks to Nurse Brandi at the school, we were able to go to the Amos Cancer Center today for Grant's port flush. This saved us an entire day! It is a 2 hour drive to Scottish Rite, 2 hours back and clinic time = at least an hour, plus of course at least one shopping stop. We need to either go to Trader Joe's, Lenox or Rugged Warehouse, it is just silly to drive by without stopping, right?!?!?
So after a FULL DAY of school, we headed to Amos. When we were walking in I noticed how "grownie" it all was. So I said, "now guys, this is a grown up clinic. So there are no toys, video games, play rooms, kids and people will be all quiet. You need to be quiet too." They looked a little scared and we went in.
We were 2 steps in the door and the woman who was volunteering at the greeter desk POINTED at the kids and said, "THEY CAN"T BE IN HERE!" I said, "we have an appointment." She said, "they have to stay outside for your appointment." I said, "It is HIS appointment." Then I started dropping names while the kids were feeling more than a little unwelcome. We went to the elevator. We were looked at like aliens and I couldn't help but want to run to Scottish Rite. It was amazing to see such a difference. The clinic in Atlanta is full of some seriously sick kids. They are happy. There is joy. This place was so depressing. All the patients in the waiting area were so sad and depressed. The kids at Scottish Rite are just as sick, just as miserable, but they are happy. Maybe they don't realize the gravity of it all. But either way, they are happy. This was not a happy room. They all looked like, "poor me." I agree, poor me, but wow! What a difference a positive attitude could make. I wanted to run from the waiting room and drive 2 hours to Scottish Rite! If I get cancer, I want to be treated at a children's hospital!
We had a nice chat with our sweet friend Sally Zastrow who was waiting. They immediately called our name. I thought "cool!" I didn't realize it was just to move us to another room away from everyone else. They put us in an abandoned waiting room to keep our crazy kid germs away from everyone. I know about immune compromised people, but seriously, they aren't aliens. The nurses were REALLY great. They went crazy over Grant being there and that started to make me want to stay.
They took us in through a back way to a treatment room and had to tell a couple people who said, "they aren't allowed back here" that it was approved. I couldn't believe it! But the nurses were great and did a great job with the flush.
The others I wanted to slap. But it was clear to me that it was a big deal to see him there. It was a huge time saver. But being a kid lover it really bothered me that they were so opposed to kids. Hey genius - did you ever think that all those grumpy people in the waiting room have germs too?!?!? Yes, kids have germs, but they have joy! They have life! They have a spirit of hopefulness. I bet if they'd let more kids in there, they'd have a better success rate on treatment. Happiness and joy make all the difference and don't come from you circumstances, they come from your heart!!
I am thankful for the wonderful time savings and the wonderful nurses at Amos. But I missed the sweet faces of the clinic and our wonderful friends at the clinic today. We left there and went to the post office to mail the gifts Grant's friends brought to his "no chemo party" to mail to the clinic. That made it even more sad to not be taking them there. Who thought I'd ever miss that place. But I did.