Never say “Never” — Especially to dancing!

I had a really depressed patient.  She had just had one leg amputated below the knee because of advanced diabetes. Of course, I prescribed some antidepressants, and made sure the medical stuff (medical causes of diabetes) had been eliminated. I asked her why she couldn’t dance. “I can’t walk and you want me to dance?”  she asked, as if holding back tears.

I started waving my cane at her.  “I don’t walk so great,”  I said.  “I dance.” I explained I wasn’t exactly a candidate for any of the top professional dance companies, but I could still have fun dancing. I told her she had the wall to lean on and me if she trusted me.  She shrugged her shoulders.  “I guess the safest way to do it is to dance with your doctor.”

“It’s doctor’s orders.” We did a little can-can all the way to the checkout desk of my office, quite safely. She was all hugging and happy-crying.