When I incorporated my business over 13 years ago in addition to providing medical interpretation, I also provided transport services. At the end of 2019, our company discontinued transportation services. It was common for me to pick up patients, transport them to and from their appointments, and then serve as their interpreter.
However, sometimes agencies an insurance companies would just hire us to provide transportation services. This was a case of a person that I got to know taking them back and forth to their appointments. No interpreter was necessary.
This person worked as a mason on a scaffold. He fell three stories, hitting a building ledge on his way down. Many of his bones were broken. In his case, something very odd began to happen. His bones healed extremely well. But then they continued to grow. After a while the bone overgrowth was so great, he was living in excruciating pain. Eventually surgery would be performed to remove all the excess bone.
He had an exceedingly rare disease that caused his bone to grow anytime there was a scratch on it. Every time surgery was performed, an excess bone was scraped, new bone growth would begin all over again. For years, I drove him to surgery and physical therapy. Then he would discover he needed to have surgery again followed by physical therapy. This happened repeatedly.
I found him to be a very funny interesting character. He had tattoos covering his arm. His hair was bleach blond. He was a typical New Jersey guy way down South. Every time he exited his house to enter my car, he had a can of Orange Crush in his hand. That man loved his Orange Crush. He also had somewhat of a sailor’s vocabulary. His language was peppered with many colorful metaphors.
One day at physical therapy, the therapist asked him if he was saved. This question deeply offended him, as he felt it had no place in therapy and had nothing to do with his treatment. He did not want to be preached to. So, he did what came naturally for him he began to verbally curse the therapist out with all the offensive vulgarities he could think of. Immediately, the therapy location quickly called me to pick him up and called the insurance company to let them know that he would no longer be welcomed at their facility.
When the insurance company asked him why he made a scene, he replied that they had no business trying to convert him. He was going for physical therapy, not to a religious institution. They accepted his answer and found a new physical therapy location for him to attend. After that, I was aware that he had an unstable mental condition as well as physical damage. He was prone to getting angry and he would get highly frustrated. I’m sure psychologically going through what he was experiencing was traumatic.
One day while I was returning him back home, he began to tell me a story I forgot what he was saying halfway through the sentence. He then stated to me, “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” I replied, “I know what’s wrong with you. Do you want to know?” “Yes,” he answered yes. So, I told him what any troublemaker would say, “the problem is that you’re not saved.” I instantly noticed his face turning red; his neck veins beginning to bulge. He was about to curse me. When he looked at me, he grinned and realized I was just kidding with him.
One day I found myself way behind schedule And I know I would be running late to pick him up from physical therapy. Knowing that he would be highly angry when I arrived, I did the only thing I could do. I took more time out to stop at the gas station and buy a cold Orange Crush. When I arrived to pick him up, I could see the anger in his face. I quickly apologized and held his favorite can in front of him. Like a dog who gets distracted by a toy, he quickly rejoiced over the Orange Crush and forgot what he was mad about.
Sadly, the last time I took him for surgery to remove excess bone, his body just couldn’t manage it anymore. He passed away. Everyone on my team, including myself, attended his funeral. He was a likable chap. He was laying in the casket with an Orange Crush clasped at his chest. I believe he would have been happy with that.
