Watched Obama's speech with an elderly African American woman dying of cancer tonight.

Watched Obama's speech with an elderly African American woman dying of cancer tonight.
Fri Aug-29-08 01:32 AM by KzooDem

I work in a hospital and was nearing the end of my shift when I walked in a room to draw labs on a patient. The patient was an 81 year old African American woman, and as I approached her bed I could see that she was crying, and not lightly.

I asked what was wrong, but her gentle, muffled sobs made her words pretty difficult to understand. After I determined she wasn't in any medical distress she was finally able to tell me why she was crying. She pointed to the television, which had on Obama, delivering his speech from Denver.

She explained that she grew up in the South (Mississippi). She is the granddaughter of a slave, and one of her uncles was lynched. She said 45 years ago when MLK gave his historic speech, she and others were still called niggers to their faces.

She also has advanced breast cancer and has months - possibly weeks - to live. She was simply so proud that she is seeing a black man get so close to the presidency.

So there I stood, this big 6'5" white guy holding the hand of this frail, little old black lady living out her last days, tears streaming down my face like a child. For me, this will be one of those moments a person tends to remember for a long, long time.

We were both laughing by the time I regained my composure. "Honey," she said to me, "just do this old woman a favor - say a little prayer for me and vote for that man." It will be her face I see when I mark Barack Obama on my ballot in November.

Her name is Bessie Mae. If you are the praying type, please say a little prayer for her.