Witnessing a Healing Sisterhood

I have recently been privileged to witness a team of women surround and lend crucial support to a member who encountered a critical health threat. Sally (not her real name) was diagnosed with uterine cancer. Her surgeon told her that it may well be confined to her uterus and that its removal would likely free her body of the disease. Rather straightforward surgery was scheduled and performed. Sally went home the next day, to await the report of the pathology lab—to be delivered in a week's time.

Her recovery appeared to be uneventfully rolling along, but problems quickly set in: Sally began to experience significant levels of pain and her temperature rose, as she became feverish. She went to the emergency room, unable to get in touch with her surgeon, to get his advice. She was diagnosed with an infection that likely was started during her surgery. Over the next few days Sally fought pain and intestinal problems, had to return a second time to the ER, and finally saw her infection begin to abate.

I will not delve further into Sally's struggles here—or her mistreatment at the hands of her surgeon, as well as the ER. Her case is just another example of countless others who come up against the foibles of the American healthcare system (which too often seems neither caring nor healthy). She did recover and soon found out that the cancer had been confined to her uterus; she is now almost back to normal. What I want to describe is the remarkable support that she received from the sisterhood, especially when complications set in.

In the week or so after her surgery, as her pain increased, Sally was swept up in the healing net of a loving and skilled circle of female friends. The team members responded spontaneously and capably—going to her home to help her in many ways: from food preparation to house cleaning to medical assistance. It helped that some of the team members are nurses, so they could also give able assistance, as well as serve as interlocutors with the hospital authorities to get her the appropriate aid.

As I watched the sisterhood swing into action, it occurred to me (full disclosure: I'm a male) that I was observing a vital role that women have performed for humanity, for as long as we've been a species on this planet. That role is often sorely underrated by the dominant half of our species: men. Just as history is written by the victors, society's values have been defined by authoritative men, who don't give adequate recognition to what women do to nurture and care for those among us who are stricken with ailments.

Women have literally provided the glue that holds civilization together. That may sound a little overstated, but I believe it is true. Women's role in sustaining the family has long been understood, but their efficacy extends far beyond the family unit. Without their crucial role, humanity would be nowhere near as cohesive and robust as it is.

Watching the sisterhood circle Sally and give her the care she badly needed, I felt privileged to witness the love and connections they brought to the occasion. It was beautiful. Long live the sisterhood!