In 9 days it will be 3 1/2 years since Leroy died. Three and a-half years.
I thought, any one who had a reason to know that, would by now.
So, imagine my surprise when a letter came in the mail from his DOCTOR.
Yes, his doctor. The man who performed Leroy's 'routine' colonoscopy and found the cancer. And 4 1/2 years later, this same man called the ER the night Leroy's speech was slurred. That was the night they found the brain tumor.
This letter was addressed to Leroy and it was informing him that this doctor was changing offices. The closing line in the letter; "I look forward to continuing your care at this location."
Now it's true that Leroy's medical care shifted up to Hopkins once his cancer turned metastatic, but when his condition worsened, Leroy did call this doctor to give him an update and in his own way thank him for a solid surgery and to say 'good-bye.'
So I called today to say how shocked and unhappy I was to get this letter, thinking they would apologize for the error. Not exactly!! After the woman on the phone had asked me for Leroy's name for the FOURTH time, I almost lost it. Actually, I sort of lost it. It still stings to have to say he's gone. And to have to repeat his name four times, was more than I was prepared to do.
Almost three and a-half years down the road and the hits just keep on coming!!!
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I got home late tonight. I've been up at Hopkins all week shooting a series on the many faces of "Survivor-ship." I know, it sounds like such an 'upper' doesn't it? Surviving cancer, but it's not as easy as it sounds.
Did you know it is critical to keep your records from any cancer treatment you've had because late effects from that treatment could reach out and cause difficulties as many as 30 years down the road? It's true and those records will give your present day doctors key information about the problems you're having now and how to treat those issues.
In my opinion, surviving cancer is a combination of strength and luck. Late effects of cancer treatment is round two of a fight that can be just as tough as round one. It's important to come at it with everything you have to stay in the fight.
These late effects can be related to cognitive problems, psychological issues, even fertility difficulties.
To have beaten the cancer, way back when, was startling. To have survived the treatment, when knowledge of how much radiation and chemotherapy to use on a patient may have been questionable, well that was down right miraculous. Now, some are paying dearly for their survival.
But the good news, medicine today can provide treatment for many of these survivors.
And all this time, I always thought beating cancer meant 'beating cancer.' Done. Finished. N-E-D.
Turns out, once you've survived it, it's important to keep that strength and luck close by...you're not finished with it quite yet!!
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