Just Listen

Every now and again, something happens that renews my belief that there is good in all people.

A few months ago, I received a call from a woman who was desperate. She didn’t need medical care; she had Medicaid. But she needed help. Her apartment was infested with fleas and she had a service dog. The dog and the apartment had to be treated, and that used every last penny she had. As a result, she was unable to pay for her much needed medications. As we were talking, she also told me that she could not afford soap or toilet paper or other personal care items. What she most needed, though, were her medications.

Being a skeptic, I called the local drug store to make sure that none of her medications were narcotics; they weren’t – just the medications she needed to manage her chronic health conditions. So, I authorized payment of the medications. Her co-pay was just a few dollars.

When I went to lunch that day, the question came up about people, and whether they abuse our system here at the clinic. That launched the story about this woman. As I shared with a couple of local businessmen the need this woman was experiencing, one of them said: “Give me a list of what she needs,” and the other one handed me $10 – which I handed to the first man, along with a list. The next morning a big grocery bag filled with the needed personal care items was delivered to my door.

Now this is a businessman who is very busy, is very skeptical of people, and enjoys being perceived as “gruff.” But hearing her story moved him to action. He was able to do something concrete to help one individual and he did it. It didn’t cost him much money – just a little bit of time.

I called to let her know I had some things for her. She came by to pick them up, thrilled not so much that she had received all these much needed items, but that she had been heard. She told me she had called several agencies looking for help, and no one had listened to her. She just needed to be heard.

It’s amazing what we can do if we just listen.