Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, let your mind dwell on these things.
– Philippians 4:8
“From the earliest time in my life, I remember my Aunt Becky. I would go stay at her home in the summers in Louisiana, and remember her hospitality. When I was 5 years old, my father required a long term hospitalization. Aunt Becky showed up to keep me and my siblings in the hot summer while my mom stayed at the hospital with him. She was an efficient homemaker, and whipped us into shape. She even cut my long hair off to avoid having to fight me to brush it everyday! She saved us all that summer, and throughout my life she was there for me and my family in the good times, and in the bad times. She never hesitated to offer help, food, and clean linens for every one our our life’s emergencies.
In 2012, she was diagnosed with glioblastoma. This was a very difficult piece of news for our whole family. She and I shared a love for sewing and quilting, and I asked her to make a quilt with me. She had lost a lot of her vision due to her brain surgery and radiation, and use of her hands, but could still participate in the quilt. It was a joy to make with her. At the time, she was receiving treatment at the Baylor Sammon’s Cancer Center, and I was working in the lymphedema clinic. As part of their program to highlight patient successes, the recreational therapist rotated art pieces in the hallways of the T. Boone Pickens Hospital. One afternoon, during a visit to her neurologist, we were able to walk over to the hospital and hang the quilt in a display box for all to see. It hung there almost a year on the seventh floor.
In 2014, Becky succumbed to her cancer. The last six months of her life were difficult, as the disease progression took her functional abilities almost daily. As an occupational therapist, I offered as much support as I could for managing the simple things like bathing. I know she would’ve done the same for me, or for anyone who needed it. Her legacy is the service and care she provided to others across her lifespan. The quilt will always be a symbol of that legacy, as well as the Whole Life Therapy Services logo that was inspired by it.”
