It ain’t easy bein’ green

It’s never easy to visit someone you care about in the hospital. Knowing that he was the one in treatment, I felt selfish and just plain ridiculous. I had been so intimidated by the idea of visiting Greg, worrying that I would react badly, cry or simply stare, or not know what to say. I felt this inexorable need to fix the situation, and I knew I was powerless to do that. What I did know, was that I could make him smile. With a little searching, I found just what I needed. Charlie’s Green Man suit from the wry sitcom “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”.

So, where does one get a full body day glo green lycra suit anyway? These days, you really can get anything online. When I got to the hospital, I didn’t even know if the nurses and doctors would let me into the room wearing it. I thought security might even handcuff me or chase me from the building yelling “TERRORIST” or something ridiculous like that. Did I mention I have a wild imagination? So, I had it carefully tucked under my skirt, and the top half was tied around my waist. Vicki Melendy, Greg’s mom met me in the outer area where we would have to scrub up for our visit in the oncology bone marrow transplant unit, and she couldn’t stop laughing! It was something else. We put the standard gown on over my green suit, and she guided me to Greg’s room. I could hardly see through the blasted green suit, so I had no idea what I really looked like.  I giggled with Vicki as I shuffled down the hallway, and nurses stopped to stare. It was all too much.

Greg’s first words to me when I came in the door were “Um, I’m a little freaked out now” which just broke all the tension I had been feeling and made me laugh. We posed for this picture, and upon seeing it on my camera, I knew for the first time just how revealing the green man suit was, and how unlike a man I really looked.  All in all, it was probably one of the more entertaining days of my life, and I am sure, of Greg’s. We talked, listened to music, and were interrupted several times by the constant care his nurses and doctors provide. When I visited again on 2/27/09 it was more of the same, though this time, without the Green (wo)Man suit.