Doctor Noonan-Martin, Miracle Worker? - 7. Making a Difference

Sometimes in our lives
We all have pain
We all have sorrow

But if we are wise
We know that there's always tomorrow

Lean on me
When you're not strong
And I'll be your friend
I'll help you carry on

Bill Withers - 1972

19

Rose was getting calls from all over. By the end of the day, she had twelve potential blast phase patients and countless others she had to find a nice way to say sorry to. She passed the information on to Dr. Brennan who took a day to thoroughly analyze the patient's histories. He initially told Madeline he would approve three patients, but there were four that he felt needed immediate attention. He called Madeline into his office Friday morning.

"What do you need, Dr. Brennan?"

"Just a chat. As you recall, I indicated I'd initially approved you to see three patients."

"Right."

"I've analyzed the twenty blast phase patients we've had requests from, we got eight more yesterday. There are four I would consider blast crisis. So, I'm modifying my starting point to four, as long as you're still okay with that."

"Of course. We need to give those children the best chance we can."

"Good. Since you no longer need to see Daniel Rivera as much, I plan on sticking as close to Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as I can. I'll try to schedule two patients on Fridays to give you an extra day to recover, should you need it."

"Excellent. When will this start?"

"One of the four is in Indiana. I suspect they'll be able to come sooner than the others. As soon as I contact each of the four families, I'll consult your calendar and get them scheduled as soon as they can make it."

"That'll be fine."

Brennan made four phone calls that day to four desperate families. They all said they would do everything they could to get there the following week. Eleven-year-old Mason Howard, the patient from Indiana would be first. Madeline's last appointment ended at two PM on Monday. That meant three days later, the accelerated cures began.

"Good afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Howard. And a special hello to you Mason."

"Hi, doctor."

"Mason, did your parents tell you anything about what we'd be doing today?"

"You're going to try to cure me."

"Exactly."

Madeline went over the process, closing with the fact Mason will feel some pain.

"I'm in pain almost all the time. I can take a little more."

Mason took a lot more. He spent almost three hours with Madeline healing different parts of his body. The little guy was a trouper. The breaks he took were shorter than anyone else Madeline had treated. By 4:45 PM, Madeline had treated over half of his body. Brennan couldn't get anybody scheduled on Wednesday. Madeline discussed the possibility of Mason returning then.

"We'll have to check with your insurance, to see if they'll cover another extended visit, but I have Wednesday afternoon open at the moment. Would you like us to check with your insurance about another visit?"

Ross, Mason's father answered, "We'll come back on Wednesday whether insurance will cover the visit or not. Obviously, we're desperate. Mason may not have a lot of time to waste."

"That's your call. Rose should be able to give you an estimate. It may be too late to consult your insurance company today, but it sounds like insurance paying is a 'nice to have,' and you'll do it regardless."

He looked at his son, "Exactly. Mason, can you do this again on Wednesday?"

"I'd go longer today if that was possible."

Ross queried, "Do you make house calls?"

"I'd love to continue, Mr. Howard. But we have to do this in the office."

"Understood. We'll see you again on Wednesday."

"Have a good evening."

"Thanks to you, we'll probably have the best evening we've had in a long time."

The Howards returned on Wednesday, again at 2 PM. Mason's treatment was completed a little after 4 PM.

Kristy, Mason's mother, needed some reassurance, "And you think Mason's leukemia is gone?"

"Yes. My indicator is being able to see the bones of the child with leukemia. I can no longer see Mason's bones. Obviously, you should bring him back for a follow-up visit so we can perform, hopefully, only one more bone marrow biopsy to be completely sure. After that, you can continue follow-up visits with your regular oncologist. We'll make sure she gets the results of all of our tests."

Kristy asked, "When should we come back here?"

"Two weeks if that's possible. Rose can schedule that as well."

"I don't know how we can thank you enough, doctor."

"Knowing Mason will live a long life is thanks enough."

20

Madeline saw two patients that Friday. Neither one was complete. Both sets of parents were already given the same time slots the following Friday. Graham Maier was fourteen and was able to withstand the pain longer. His visits took three weeks. Sara Davis was only eleven and needed four weeks. The fourth, Madison Murphy, was nine and also took four sessions beginning the following Monday. Graham lived near San Francisco. Sara and Madison were somewhat closer, Sara from Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Madison from Trenton, New Jersey.

Patients cycled in as fast as they could be scheduled. Most took four weeks, a few took only three, some others needed a fifth week. By the end of September, Madeline had cured twenty children, had one active patient, and three more would begin treatments the first full week of October. Beginning in August, it became necessary for Madeline to see blast phase patients on Thursdays as well, as two were deemed to not have a lot of time left.

On October sixth, Madeline began seeing six patients a week, as Tuesday added another. By Thanksgiving, she had given twenty-nine families something to be extremely thankful for. Four more would continue their treatments, with two more beginning theirs. Six more cures would occur by Christmas. Madeline and Colin received forty Christmas cards from happy families, each and every one containing a gift card. Most of the families had experienced significant medical costs until the time Madeline started treating their children, so the amounts weren't much in most cases. Thirty-eight ranged from twenty-five to one hundred dollars. The last two were each five hundred dollars. Madeline tried to refuse the two largest, but those families would not relent.

Madeline donated every single gift card to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

21

While all this was going on, Colin was in contact with Diff Adopt. He and Madeline wanted Michael to have some kind of relationship with his natural parents. Getting the agency to release the records was tantamount to pulling teeth from a lion. Shortly before Christmas, he broke down their defenses with a lot of help from Michael, who begged the agency to tell Colin the address or phone number where his natural parents were. Since he was only four when he was placed into foster care, he couldn't remember either.

The Monday before Christmas, Colin made a call.

"Hello?"

"Hello. Is this Mrs. Michael Watson?"

"It is. Who is calling?"

"You don't know me, but my name is Colin Martin. You had a son, Michael. Am I correct?"

Adriana Watson was suddenly unsure of herself, "Yes. What is this about?"

"This may come as a shock to you, but I am Michael's adoptive father."

"Is he okay?"

"Perfectly healthy. It took a while to get the adoption agency to let me have your information, but Michael begged and finally broke them down. My family would like to invite you over for Christmas, and back to some extent into Michael's life."

"Is this a joke? We were told he only lived a little more than a year. If this is..."

"I assure you, Mrs. Watson, it is no joke. My wife is a pediatric oncologist. She treated Michael shortly after he moved in with us."

"And you said he's healthy?"

"He is. I know things could get complicated, with you being in the picture..."

"No. We gave him up so he would have a chance at a full life with someone who could afford to give him the care he needed. You apparently were able to do that. I wouldn't mind taking a back seat. But you said you'd like to invite us for Christmas?"

"Yes. We live in Wooster, Ohio. I realize that you're in Mississippi and that may be difficult for you."

"We're a little better off financially now, Mr. Martin, but yes, a trip to Ohio a day or two from now would not be possible, as much as I and my family would love to."

"It's Colin, please. My wife and I are prepared to make and pay for all the arrangements. Michael would really like to see you again."

"We couldn't ask you to do that, as much as..."

"Sorry, I don't mean to cut you off, but we'd be happy to do that. Really. I'd just need full names for the airline tickets. I'll book a local hotel and rental car, even give you enough money to pay for parking at Jackson airport and a few meals while you're here, at least what you don't eat with us."

"Wow. This is hard to take in. I need to speak with my husband to see how long we can leave for."

"If you can swing it, stay through Sunday, or even New Year's Day. Everything is on us."

"You and your wife must be saints, Mr. Martin. If you'll give me your number, I can call back this evening."

"Colin, please."

Colin shared both his and Madeline's cell numbers. Mrs. Watson called back around seven that evening, saying they could travel the next day, the twenty-third, after 2 PM, if that was alright with Colin. They would return home on Sunday, the twenty-eighth. It would be her, Adriana, her husband Michael, and their nine-year-old son, Alan. Colin booked the flight, rental car and hotel. He also ran to the nearest store and bought a five-hundred-dollar re-loadable MasterCard for the Watsons to use for expenses while they were in Wooster. Their 4:32 PM flight arrived in Akron at 10 PM, after connecting in Charlotte. By the time they arrived at the Best Western in Wooster, it was nearly midnight. Michael Watson phoned Colin to tell him they had arrived at the hotel.

"What time shall we come over tomorrow?"

"Feel free to head over right after the hotel's free breakfast. Madeline has one patient she'll need to see in the morning, but the kids and I will be here."

"Thank you so much, Colin. You'll never know how much this means to us."

"You're very welcome. See you in the morning."

The Watsons arrived just before 10 o'clock. There were tearful hugs all around. When Madeline got home, she told the Watsons about how she cured Michael. They were astounded. They obviously hadn't heard anything about the cures Madeline had been performing for the past few months. They spent the entire day with the Martins, not leaving until 9 PM. When they returned the next morning, they were surprised with a number of gifts. Young Michael, at seven, was starting to doubt about Santa Claus, but Mia still believed. All the presents were marked 'From Santa.'

Adriana was a nurse's aide; the elder Michael was a custodian. One of their presents was job offers from Wooster Community Hospital. The Martin's had a little fun with them, giving Alan a set of keys, along with a hand-held game system. Colin had informed Alan to call them Aunt and Uncle.

"What are these for, Uncle Colin?"

"Those are keys to Apartment 210 at Arlington Apartments, a few blocks away from the hospital."

"Why?"

"Well, if your mom and dad take the jobs at the hospital, you'll all need somewhere to live."

"I'm not sure we'll be able to afford that, Colin."

"You'll have six months to figure it out. We've paid that much in advance for you."

"Wow. But, I mean, we can't afford to move."

"Maybe not…but we can afford to move you. The apartment lease begins February first, the jobs start the second. When I first spoke to Adriana on Monday, I said you're invited back into Michael's life. You could hardly do that very well from Mississippi, or on your own. Madeline and I decided to help. Everything is changeable, even as far as cancellation, should you choose that route."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No, Adriana. Colin is being completely truthful. Merry Christmas," replied Madeline.

The tears returned. Alan was a little upset about moving away from his friends, but to be able to have a relationship with his brother again lessened that discomfort. Having a virtual little sister was just icing on the cake.

Epilogue

The two families spent a lot of time together. The Martins included the Watsons in their vacation plans. Michael called the Watsons Mom and Dad W. Mia called them Aunt and Uncle. Everybody got along well as an extended family. A year after the move, the Watsons bought a small three-bedroom house. Michael and Mia both spent the occasional weekend with them, something for which the Watsons were truly grateful.

Madeline cured hundreds of children before she was forced to retire at sixty-eight due to arthritis in her hands. After retiring officially, she rented an office near her home so she could still see the most desperate of patients, charging them a nominal fee for her time. None of the families balked at the twenty dollars per session she requested to help defray the cost of rent on the office.

Unfortunately, unlike her brother Peter, there was no mathematical equation that would continue her efforts. She died at the age of ninety-four, treating children up until two weeks before she passed. All told, over two-thousand, seven hundred children were cured due to her efforts. By the time she passed, childhood leukemia had a 99.8 percent survival rate.

The End