Every Step Of The Way Poem by Bill Galvin

Every step of the way
We've been together,
Partnered to share the load.
You've held my hand before, during, after…
The relentless lupus; the heart attack;
The cerebritis and its stroke-like after effects;
The kidney transplant;
Eleven stents; two aortic repairs;
The medicinal reactions;
The surgeries major and minor;
The stumbles and the falls.

Every step of the way
You'd smile, confident in the outcome,
And in the benefit to our togetherness.
"You and me, Babe" you'd say.
To you it was like fixing a flat
And hitting the open road again.
We'd plod along in recovery
Till we got our legs under us
Then we'd take a deep breath,
And move on.

Every step of the way
We've been together,
Sharing more than a few fears,
And accepting each fateful diagnosis
With enough grace, faith, and courage
To carry us onward to our next chapter.

Every step of the way
You've inspired all who learned your story.
Doctors, nurses, therapists, aides,
All strived to do their best
For one of their most cooperative patients.
If medals were awarded for medical victories,
You'd be a record setter.

Every step of the way
You did everything right.
Then out of nowhere…
You did not deserve this downhill slide.
You did not deserve the diagnosis of ALS.

At each homecoming
After surgery or rehab
I'd love to see that smile of relief
When we'd pull up into our door yard…
Another success!
But now life has changed.
We've lost all freedoms
To this hideous time-changer.
No one can tell us how or why.
But it doesn't matter really.

Just know, It's been an honor
To be by your side through all of it…

Every step of the way.

2-10-2015