TMC PULSE

T M C » P U L S E | S E P T E M B E R 2 0 1 8 18 Soft pink lighting instead of sharp fluorescents fills the hallways, while inspirational messages appear not only on the walls, but on the ceil- ings, so patients on stretchers can see them. In addition to medication, massage and acupuncture, PCU patients have the option to work with Randolph. "Very often, if they are uncom- fortable, if they start talking to me or I get them to draw, they forget about the pain. It goes away," Randolph said. "It is a period where the world stops and they go into themselves. They have rich, wonderful things inside themselves that I can trans- late in meaningful ways." Unlike traditional art therapy, Randolph is not expecting the patients to achieve a milestone, such as walking, speaking or expressing emotion. Her presence and creativity are expressly supportive. PCU patients share their fondest memories with Randolph, whether it is a dirt road leading to their favorite place, a bike ride in the mountains or the tender touch of a loved one. "It is something that isn't medical, but it is happiness or some experience they had that came together in a drawing," Randolph said. "I don't pretend that it changes anything monumental—I don't know what the ultimate outcomes are—but I think I am drawing things for peo- ple that they will keep and cherish for a long time." A "life review" is the description Walker assigns to Randolph's work with PCU patients. "The images that come out in Lynn's drawings are the times that have been important, the relation- ships that have been important, the places, spiritual and religious views that have been important," Walker said. "There is an important CENTERED LIVING 713-527-1000 LatitudeMedCenter.com NOW OPEN 50% Off Rent Through 2018 * Book Your Tour Today LUXURY APARTMENT HOMES In The Texas Medical Center *Restrictions May Apply. Ask for Details. psychological benefit of the images and these images can be symbols to express something we don't have words for." 'My husband was a patient' Beyond her artistic talent, Randolph knows better than most what it feels like to have a loved one in the PCU. "My husband was a patient here in 2000 and, after he was diagnosed, he only lived about five months," she said. "During that time, I had to learn how to go through this process, and there were things that I discovered that helped me and there are ways that I can help other people because I have been through it." Her spouse's diagnosis and grim prognosis changed Randolph's outlook on life—a living-in-the- moment lesson she shares with PCU patients. "You can grab hold of it right here, right now," she said. "Being with him was all I could really do. Everything that happened for those five months, I was just with him and he lived until he died. If you can get people to stop and live while they are still there and to be together, that is something you don't think about unless someone you are totally intertwined with is in that circumstance." Since joining the unit a decade ago, Randolph—now remarried—has made a profound contribution to the psychosocial and spiritual counsel- ing team at MD Anderson's PCU. "She brings her life experiences and what she learned from those experiences to the bedside with those patients," Walker said. "She has been in the situation of being a spouse of a dying husband, a sister of a dying brother—incredibly trau- matic—and I think that sensitivity comes through."

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