Facing fears and counting blessings: a case study of a chaplain's faithful companioning a cancer patient.

This article offers a case study of a long-term chaplaincy care relationship between a woman with recurrent leukemia and an experienced oncology chaplain at a comprehensive cancer center. The case includes an extensive description of the encounters between the patient and the chaplain; a spiritual/religious assessment that includes a spiritual/religious profile and a portrait of the needs, interventions, and outcomes within the case; and a discussion of some key issues in the case, including what aspects regarding the overall care was healing. Although a number of issues were addressed, the author argues that the essence of the care and healing occurred through the faithful companioning of the chaplain. The author articulates an understanding of faithful companioning.