By Jenny Song

Service With a Smile

Bladder cancer survivor Elizabeth Cropper finds similarities between effective ushering and a good bedside manner

By Jenny Song

“She understands that at some point, she may be recommended to get more treatment,” says Chen. “But until that happens, she’s very positive.”

A woman deeply rooted in faith, Cropper says God has helped her face her diagnosis. “I never said, ‘Why me?’ ” she says. “I’m no different than anybody else. But this is another one of these trials you have to go through. I had a son die right in my arms. He had asthma. God took me through that. My husband died. God took me through that. So I just said, ‘Just another trial, Lord.’ And I believe he’ll take me through this.”

Cropper is not afraid of dying and at some point she knows that will happen, says Chen. “She’s not overly depressed over the potential that this disease may very well kill her, because she ultimately has a faith that there’s a reason for all of this and she’s going to be upbeat. And in the time she’s on this earth, she’s interested in making a difference.”

One way she is striving to have an impact is by reaching out to cancer survivors in her church. Cropper’s pastor, the Rev. Brian D. King Sr., will often advise cancer survivors to talk to Cropper when they tell him about their recent diagnosis. People are drawn to her, says King, because of her “Christ-like demeanor—she is approachable.” But she’s also an encourager, he says.

At Ezekiel, which has 700 members, there are some survivors who are open about their diagnosis and others who are not. Cropper’s message to them all is the same: “You can go through this. You don’t have to stay there and muddle in the mud because you have cancer, you can go through,” she says. “And if I can encourage you to get through, then later you can encourage somebody else. And that encouragement goes down the line.”