If you follow politics and the news, you’ll hear about hordes of immigrants trying to cross the border to steal our jobs.
You’ll see videos of young black men being arrested. You’ll read stories about crime in Chicago’s West Side and Miami’s Overton neighborhoods which are full of African Americans, hispanics and immigrants.
If you’ve never known any dark skinned people, it might be enough to make you afraid.
During the past 9 months of my wife’s cancer treatments and hospice, I noticed something quite striking:
All of her nurses, aides and direct caregivers were black or hispanic women. Over 75% were immigrants from Haiti, Jamaica or Latin America.
I’ve got news for you. If you dislike, fear or hate dark skinned people, you could be in for a world of hurt if you or a family member is ever seriously ill.
Because these are the people who will be taking care of you too.
These women were kind, gentle and sweet. They did everything possible to ease my wife’s pain, make her comfortable and maintain her dignity. They not only cared for her, they cared about her.
They did the same for me, my son and even our pets.
At first it was awkward having strangers in our house. I’m an introverted guy and balked at the offer of 24/7 in-home nursing coverage.
But desperation to comfort my wife forced me to accept their help. Thank God I did.
They watched over her so I could finally get a few hours of sleep. They administered meds, escalated to the doctors and even bathed her.
Often I would hear them talking and laughing with my wife as they shared stories about families, life and kids. They kept her from feeling lonely, isolated and afraid.
By the time their shift was over there was no doubt my wife loved them and they loved her too. I was surprised how many times they would hug us both before leaving.
Some day many of us will be relying on people like these women to help us for during our darkest days.
Don’t be afraid of the color of their skin.