Ben the Hen

My friend Ben suffered a stroke when he was in his mid-20s. I hadn't seen the guy in a year or so, but when I found out what had happened, I visited him in the hospital and brought him some Oreo cookies, which are a personal favorite of his. We caught up on each others' lives and talked about future plans. His speech was slurred, he couldn't think clearly, and the left side of his body was paralyzed.
I visited Ben a second time, and during the course of the conversation he told me a story:
"One of the nurses came into my room earlier today," he said, "and I offered her an Oreo cookie. She said that she'd given up chocolate for lent, so she couldn't have it. I was like 'That's nothing. I gave up my whole left side for lent.'"
I laughed a lot when he told me that story. It's been 3 years since the last time I saw Ben. When I think about what he said now, I don't laugh as much as I used to.