Beautiful Stranger

Earlier this month, at my physical therapy waiting area, I met a young woman who recently got diagnosed with leukemia. Interestingly, she was a radiation oncologist resident at Mount Sinai hospital. We connected via issues we face as young adults with cancer. She was sweet, but seem bitter and jaded from her experiences. Understandably so, I felt a bit unnerved as she was sharing her story. Long story short, she was determine unfit by the hospital's Wellness Board to treat patients. Since she can no longer work as a resident, she is being evicted from the hospital's housing apartment for residents. To top it off, the day she got diagnosed, her boyfriend left her. After we departed, I thought a lot about her. I'm not sure if I could help her emotionally without causing myself stress, which was one of the reasons, I did not ask for her contact information. I hope she's doing better than I left her.

She reminds me of  how extraordinarily lucky I am to have an incredible network of supportive family and friends in my life. The holidays, specifically Thanksgiving, mark the anniversary of my life After Cancer. I made it to my third year. Three years is a long time for someone with stage IV. I'm hoping for more anniversaries to celebrate with the people I love so dearly. Thank you all so much for your love, support, patience and reading my blog. :)
 

I got dumped!

Getting dumped is a pretty awful feeling that I thought generally existed only in the dating world. That's not true as I have found out. My doctor walked in and jokingly said, "So did anyone tell you that I'm dumping you today?" I was caught off guard and hoped that he was actually joking. But alas, he's moving on to bigger and better things in the lung cancer medical world to become a Director in another institution to teach, research, and work on clinical trials. I thought, No! This can't be! I was already missing the bluntness and directness of his approach that grew on me after 3 years, and the comfort and familiarity of seeing him at the hospital. After we hugged, I tried not to cry as we closed off with the status of my PET scan (stable! yah!) and what my next options would be once this treatment stops working. I most likely won't see him again, but I have his contact information. He did encourage us to call if we have any questions and even stated that if there is a clinical trial at his new facility that might be of interest, we can contact him. Maybe it's not the end of the relationship but a change in our relationship.

Flowers for Algernon

I had recently finished the book "Flowers for Algernon" which seems to be a classic school read. It was about a 32 year old man with a below average IQ who had an experiment performed on him to slowly transform him into a highly intellectual being. Unfortunately, the experiment appeared to only work temporarily and he started to lose his vast knowledge.

I had an almost similar experience. One afternoon, I suddenly felt numbness on my right hand and forearm, then the bottom half of my face, then my left hand. I can't remember this ever happening before. I rushed to urgent care, then started feeling dizzy and vomited. The neurologist asked simple questions that I was conscious of, but somehow wasn't able to answer them. All I could think of was Flowers for Algernon.

I was diagnosed with a seizure that most likely resulted from the tumor that was radiated earlier this year. I'm on an anti-seizure drug (Keppra) now indefinitely, but I'm so glad that to have regained my focus.