Yesterday was chemo Thursday. College finals are complete for my daughter so she decided to come with Brett and me at the last minute. She and I planned to plant Dad in his chair and go for a nice run in the sunshine. As we entered the chemo room we were greeted by a bald young woman with a radiant smile. She immediately began talking to us, asking questions, showing us the ladybug pillow the children she babysits gave her. Kylea and I left for a run feeling a bit sad. Here was a young woman Kylea's age hooked up to chemo and looking a bit ragged.
When we returned an hour later this young woman was still going strong. She continued to come up with one liners keeping everyone on their toes. She asked questions and no topic was off limits. She asked Kylea and I why we run when no one is chasing us. She tried on wigs on her way to the bathroom and selected the one with really long hair for a picture- claiming she wanted to be in an 80's hair band. As we laughed her mother asked if I would like to see a picture of her "before". She shared her senior picture- long brown hair in waves down to her waist.
This young lady then settled in and, finding Kylea to be the same age and to have an unusual amount of things in common, she began to share her story. Six weeks ago she was suffering from abdominal pain and nausea. Her doctor ran tests and told her she was pregnant. She said that was very exciting because it was impossible and she always wanted to be part of a miracle. A week later she found herself in the ER and was diagnosed with a very rare germ cell tumor in her abdomen that had ruptured and caused internal bleeding. After surgery she is now going through chemo for four cycles. She lost her ability to have children and faces a lifetime of hormone replacement therapies. She's receiving transfusions and spends a lot of time in a recliner these days. She had to withdraw from college temporarily due to time and money constraints. She lost her hair, that amazing hair. She lost weight- she reported being 150 lbs. and what we met was a very petite and frail young lady of maybe 100 lbs.
Her story could have been so sad but she would not allow it. She infused humor. She spoke of the blessings she had. She told of how she had struggled to pay for college and now thanks to a very rare cancer she'll get lots of scholarships to attain her goal to be a pediatrician. She laughed. She teased. She was so open and honest. She asked another lady why she was in treatment and when the lady explained her breast cancer battle (a primary tumor on each side) she looked at her and said, "Well, excuse me, but... crap". We all just burst out laughing. She continued to say that no one expects cancer and it always blindsides you.
Kylea and I went outside to seek the sunshine but we found it in the chemo room.
Now, a lost soul... After such an amazing day yesterday it was difficult to turn on the news today and hear of a woman in Florida who faked breast cancer to get financial help to pay for implants. Really? She preyed upon hospice workers to make donations. I'd like to assume that this woman has never been touched by the devastation of cancer and that she acted out of total and complete ignorance. If this is the case I hope part of her restitution is to care for cancer patients in some form. And that's all I have to say that is appropriate for print. Poor lost soul.
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