By Linda Thomas
Hometown Weekly Correspondent
A profound friendship can grow out of the most desperate of circumstances.
For my family, all it took was one phone call.
People come into our lives when we least expect it — and some are like angels sent from God.
Gretchen Wagner was ours.
It’s Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, and here we are back at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston — just as we were a year ago.
My mom has been anemic for several years. We take her to Dana-Farber bi-weekly on Thursdays (with the exception of holidays when we would go on that Wednesday) for an injection to boost her red blood cells.
There weren’t too many Thanksgivings I can remember when we weren’t at home with mom cooking the turkey and all the fixings. In fact, last year was the first year we didn’t cook. That’s when we decided it was easier to order a fully cooked turkey dinner from our local Whole Foods store at Dedham.
It wasn’t the same. But at least we were going to be together and sharing a meal. Being thankful, being grateful, and feeling blessed - isn’t that what Thanksgiving is all about?
And we were — all of the above.
The turkey needed to be picked up by 7:00 p.m. But when we learned mom would need an hours-long blood transfusion, panic set in.
We knew there was no way we could get to Whole Foods in time. And despite my attempts to reach them, no family member, friends or neighbors seemed to be around to help.
Instead, a stranger named Gretchen came to our rescue.
She happened to be the one to answer my call when I explained our dilemma. She seemed to immediately understand. She heard the anxiety in my voice. I heard the compassion in hers.
Gretchen offered to take time out of her own personal schedule once she left work on what may be the busiest day of the year to drive the distance and deliver the turkey herself. First, she needed permission from her manager.
I then spoke with the associate store team leader, who approved. He said while this was something out of the ordinary Gretchen told him it was something she wanted to do — something she needed to do.
“The day before Thanksgiving last year when I picked up the phone at Whole Foods, I could hear the stress in the voice on the other end of the phone,” Gretchen recalled.
“When Linda explained she was at Dana-Farber with her family for her mother and they didn’t know if they would make it to the store in time to pick up their Thanksgiving meal, it pulled at my heartstrings.
“My father was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer and he also went to Dana-Farber for his treatment. And I know that every holiday is a blessing when you have a loved one battling cancer. That’s when I knew I could not allow the Thomas family to not have their Thanksgiving meal.
“I immediately asked Linda where she lived, and told her that I could drive her Thanksgiving dinner to her home so it would be there when they got home,” Gretchen said.
“I feel that I was meant to answer that phone call, because I knew exactly what the stress of a hospital can bring. And to be able to relieve any stress Linda and her family were experiencing is something I was very thankful for.”
Gretchen’s kind and generous heart made it possible for my family to celebrate a truly grateful and blessed Thanksgiving holiday.
Though Gretchen has transferred to the Brighton Whole Foods store, she and I have stayed connected throughout this past year. We call or text one another every so often just to stay in touch hoping all is well and praying for my mom and her dad that they continue to stay healthy.
I know how very important it is to receive positive feedback. It feeds the soul — and hopefully breeds more positive behavior.
Here we are again, on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, with one more person for whom to give thanks — just one of many little angels all around us.
Editor’s Note: Linda Thomas writes for Hometown Weekly Publications. For comments and suggestions she can be reached at lindasfaces@gmail.com
