After my diagnosis (诊断) with a cancer, I loved the 1 of having something new and green around. My wife, Hannah, bought me what she said was a lucky bamboo plant in a deep-green pottery bowl. We placed the plant in the living room. I 2 every time I looked at it from the sofa where I spent most of my time.
I told Hannah I wanted to 3 the plant myself. I was pleased when it didn't immediately turn yellow or brown or 4 all its leaves.
The cancer 5 my ability to walk, and the treatment left me 6 , making it hard for me to perform everyday tasks. Since my diagnosis in August 2018, far too often, it seemed that I had to depend on help from other people. The huge 7 left me feeling upset. 8 , caring for the plant gave me a sense of 9 at a time when I sometimes felt 10 .
Before I fell sick, I had worked as a family doctor. I was used to being the one who 11 care, not the one who received it. Watering the plant, as small an act as it was, connected me to my old 12 and taught me I could still be a caregiver. Plants and 13 could still depend on me.
Over the next few months, I recovered from surgery and 14 work. Now I keep a few pots of lucky bamboo in my clinic. Sometimes, I will give one to my patients, telling them, "Take care of it. It 15 you!"
