"He stayed as long as he could, and then came back the next day, and the next, and every day since."
Joshua Hubbell was the man in the room and the room was located in Walter Reed Hospital. Twenty-six year old Joshua had been diagnosed with testicular cancer three years ago. However, the reason Joshua was in the room at Walter Reed had nothing to do with his cancer and everything to do with his best friend Luis Rosa-Valentin.
Josh graduated from Meade Senior High School at Fort Meade, Md., in 2000 and Luis graduated in 2001. Both young men came from homes where their fathers were career soldiers, so it came as no surprise to anyone that Luis decided to join the Army.
Luis started basic training on September 11, 2001 and was eventually sent to Iraq. This was okay with Luis because like most young men at this time, he was as gung-ho as other young men because he, "didn't just love being in the Army, he loved being in the infantry. It was his life."
While Josh was at home fighting his cancer, Luis was in Iraq fighting what he thought was a war against the terrorist responsible for the 9/11 attacks against the U.S. While in Iraq Luis would call Josh at home to offer encouragement and moral support in his fight against cancer.
During his second tour in Iraq, Luis was leading a patrol on a street in Baghdad when he ws blown up. When Luis woke up he had lost both legs above the knee, his left arm and his hearing.
Josh immediately began an e-mai campaign to Luis telling him he would survive and he was the kind of person who would get through. As soon as Luis was admitted to Walter Reed, Josh showed up and visited every day. The two men communicate using a special computer, each has a keyboard and small screen. Josh types whatever he wants to say, Luis reads it and then responds out loud.
With all that he's going through, Luis says, "the hearing loss is especially hard. I can't call anybody to say hello or tell them what's happening with me. And when people are having a conversation around me, I'm completely left out of it, unless somebody decides to write down real quick what's being said."
The two men spend their days pretty much doing what they had done in high school. Of their friendship Luis says, "I suppose it's the meaning of love. I've got my best friend here helping me, and I need the help. I'm just extremely grateful to have a friend like Josh. And Josh, who doesn't see that he's doing anything extraordinary? Josh says, "This is a fine way to spend my time. It's just nice to be able to hang out with him, after being so close to being gone forever.
The story of Luis Rosa-Valentin and his friend Joshua Hubbell originally appeared in Bob Herbert's column entitled, "The Man in the Room". It was a story that resonated with me because of the love and the lack of bitterness on the part of this young man. I'm sure that will come later as Luis goes through rehabiliation and attempts to start what will now be his new life.
It took me a long time to write this diary (my first) because every time I picked up the article and started I would cry. A diary a couple of weeks ago questioned the lack of diaries about Iraq on Dailykos. I don't know about most people, but the reading about men and women suffering like Luis is pretty difficult.
But, I think we owe it to them, not to forget them and to keep raising our voices in protest to our government's continued occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan and the covert operations that the Bush Administration is carrying on against Iran right now.
I read these types of stories even when I know they will break my heart.
Read. Cry. Get Angry. Get Involved.