In 1977 I was an Air Force intensive care technician at Keesler AFB, MS. There one day I met an extremely ill white 78 y/o woman with fulminant Hepatits B to the extent she required ventilator support. The unfortunate woman was sealed in a negative airflow room, seemed to have no visitors and communicated by chalkboard with the staff. Because she was so infectious and ventilator dependent, one of us had to sit by her bedside in full gown, mask, gloves and footwear in case her ventilator malfunctioned. I took my shift for four hours one day and prepared to break for lunch. We could see through the airlock my friend Lee Whitaker was dressing to spell me for lunch when the lady got my attention and wrote on her chalkboard. She wrote "Please don't leave me in here alone with that Nigger".
I had a good lunch that day and have stewed about this ever sice.
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