A Life-Changing Day
Today marks 9 years, exactly, since Dr. L. gave me the Call.
It was a Wednesday afternoon. I was in clinic, caring for patients with blood diseases. In between seeing my patients and supervising the residents and fellows, I checked my voice mail. The message from Dr. L. said I should please contact her. Already, by the tone of her voice, I knew the results of the needle biopsy I’d had the morning before. It was positive. I had an infiltrating ductal carcinoma in the left breast.
I stayed to finish seeing the patients. Around 6PM, I went back to my office to complete notes and return calls. Only after all that was done, my desk set with a decipherable stack of tasks and charts – just in case someone else should need to complete my work, I went home.
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When is it I wonder that a disease comes to define your life? I guess when it causes a sea change . A bend in the river. A dam in the flow, temporary perhaps but irrevocable in it’s damage to the course of the flow.
So glad you’re still moving…
all the best, Elaine. I enjoy (and learn from) your twitter selections. Keep up the good work.
Peggy,
I’m glad I’m still moving, too; I barely could for a long while, literally.
But I don’t think I’ve ever defined myself by having a disease. The BC Dx is what led me to come to grips with other illnesses. And, what I’m realizing, is that it was just a pivotal day, in the course of a long period of changes in my life.
Funny thing, I wasn’t particularly upset that day or that week. That’s probably because, even though I was practicing oncology, I had no clue about what was lay ahead.