One More Reason to Love Dr. McDreamy

As if you needed another one! Anyone who is a fan of Grey's Anatomy, knows there's a small part of you that thinks, oh maybe someday, Dr. McDreamy, aka Dr. Derrick Shepard, played by actor Patrick Dempsey, will come to your rescue with his reassuring and charming bedside manner. Today, Patrick Dempsey was there for me. Well, almost...

I mentioned in a recent post, my father has recently been diagnosed with throat cancer and is undergoing treatment. He happens to be undergoing treatment at the hospital in the small town (Lewiston, Maine) where Patrick Dempsey grew up. After his mother was diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Patrick and his siblings got together to create the Patrick Dempsey Center for Cancer Hope & Healing.

The Dempsey Center provides support for cancer patients and their families in many ways, including a reference library, support groups, financial assistance to help defray costs of travel to treatments, and integrated medicine in the form of acupuncture and therapeutic massage for both patients and their caregivers. Since I traveled 2500 miles to be here for several weeks to be beside my father during his 18 day hospital stay and transition to home, I was able to take advantage of the massage services offered. In this great time of stress, when everyone is not so subtly reminding me to take care of myself, too, I finally gave in! And let me tell you, I am happy that I did take that advice to heart, and was able to find some solace in Patrick Dempsey's generosity.

From the moment I walked into the Dempsey Center, I immediately felt at ease. Perhaps that's because I had already had several conversations with Mary Dempsey, Patrick's sister, who is at the center daily. Between juggling what must be hundreds of administrative tasks, her warm and friendly demeanor quickly lets you know her number one priority - that she truly understands what it's like to go through this, and is there to offer the most sincere support, as though you've been friends your entire lives.

Visit the Patrick Dempsey Center website to learn more, and read about the Quilt Project - where you can make a small donation of $25 to honor / memorialize someone you know who faced a cancer diagnosis, or you can donate your time and your quilting skills to help build a comfort quilt for a cancer patient.

Turns out, you can buy some love.