Thyroid Cancer
Panic! At the Ultrasound
Alone, I walk into one of the buildings in the conglomerate towering over me. Past the check-in desk, then left across the atrium. Pink ribbons dapple the windows looking into the waiting room I am heading toward. It isn’t long before a young woman in pink scrubs appears and calls my name. She seems remarkably unbothered, while I am bracing for the ground to drop out from under me. It could happen at any second.
Read More...Prescription of Nature
I’m tired. Like to-the-bone weary, at a point where I switch into autopilot mode and float, not present in the moment, or really in the past or future, just tired. So, let’s talk about how I got here. It’s a mix of a glorious adventure in nature and sterile walls and fluorescent lights all in the matter of a week.
Read More...In the Mountains, I am Free
The golden sun warmed the brown and gray mountains. Short alpine grasses leaned into the wind and reached for oxygen at the high elevation, always finding a way to bloom. I was sitting in the passenger seat of my mom’s car with the windows rolled down, so I could take in the sweet smell of pines and the crisp Colorado air.
Read More...The Loss of My Grandfather
In May 2011, at the age of 71, my Grandfather John was diagnosed with Bladder Cancer. I remember this day like it was yesterday. It was a sunny and warm day. My grandparents came to my parents’ house to tell us about the news after his doctor’s appointment. He was told he had to start multiple rounds of chemotherapy as soon as possible.
Read More...Unpacking Mindfulness
Mindfulness. Is it a state of being? Understanding? I’m not quite sure, but I think I have finally gotten there. By there I mean a state of mind where I’m not filled with fear or anxiety of what’s next, but rather comfortable with the decisions I have made so far.
Read More...Dear Cancer, I Am Looking to the Future
Leave all of us alone. I beg you to leave all my amazing Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) cancer friends alone. Go away forever and never come back.
Read More...Joy, Balance, and Cancer
When I was 20, I was playing the role of Nerissa in “Merchant of Venice,” when I got a sinus infection. Rehearsals were ramping up, so I went to the doctor on my college campus. It turned out that I also had thyroid cancer.
Read More...Reflection on Where I am Today with Thyroid Cancer
In July 2012, I was diagnosed with Metastatic Thyroid Cancer after being misdiagnosed for ten years. I was being seen by a Chief Endocrinologist named Doctor Shapiro who works in Mineola, New York. He refused to listen to me until I ended up blacking out in college and was taken to the hospital.
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