I'm not sure how many people are still reading, so maybe I'm just talking with myself. I just want to thank everyone for the support I have received. Unless I have made a mistake in my count, I am finally finished with my chemotherapy. This was the last portion that was part of my treatment plan.
I cannot say enough about the friends and family I have. I would not have been able to do this without you. Those who supported me the most saw me in my lowest moments and pulled me through them. I owe all of you something I can never pay back.
I am so wiped out right now I really don't think I have had a chance to let this moment sink in.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Wow
I don’t mind bragging about what I just did. I finished a semester of law school which I never believed I would do over again. I never told anyone else but I was lying if I said I knew I could do this. Some people doubted whether I had what it took to get into law school to begin with. I won’t finish number 1, but after what I’ve been through this school year it doesn’t matter. I know that there is not a person on this earth that I can’t stand toe to toe with when it comes to determination. I owe that to all of you. It may not seem like any big deal to anyone else but one semester of law school is now the proudest moment in my life.
I don’t mind telling everyone that I cried for a half an hour when I turned my last exam in. The support I got from everyone was unbelievable. Your assumptions that I could do this drove me to this accomplishment. I stood on all of your shoulders to reach what I could not have done by myself.
I still have some a long way to go before I can say I am fully recovered but this is an unbelievable achievement for me.
I don’t mind telling everyone that I cried for a half an hour when I turned my last exam in. The support I got from everyone was unbelievable. Your assumptions that I could do this drove me to this accomplishment. I stood on all of your shoulders to reach what I could not have done by myself.
I still have some a long way to go before I can say I am fully recovered but this is an unbelievable achievement for me.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Getting there
I finished my first chemo treatment and I must admit that it was a real challenge. I felt pretty crummy for most of the treatment. It is nice to get one done and only have 5 left to go. Classes are starting to really pick up. I am excited to have spring break in a few weeks.
I said that I would be doing some fundraising soon but one of my friends beat me to the punch. There is a 5k Race in Washington DC called the “Race for Hope”. This race is held in effort to raise funds to support brain tumor patients. My friend Laura Hertzman is running in the race. She is running on a team associated with a few of her friends. If any one wants information or would like to contribute funds the team website is: http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/RFH-DC2009?team_id=21530&pg=team&fr_id=1340
I will not personally run in this race. I will be going to DC to support those that are running. I still plan on doing fundraising before I run in the Baltimore Marathon in the fall. But this is an excellent opportunity to do something in the mean time. Thanks in advance everyone.
I said that I would be doing some fundraising soon but one of my friends beat me to the punch. There is a 5k Race in Washington DC called the “Race for Hope”. This race is held in effort to raise funds to support brain tumor patients. My friend Laura Hertzman is running in the race. She is running on a team associated with a few of her friends. If any one wants information or would like to contribute funds the team website is: http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/RFH-DC2009?team_id=21530&pg=team&fr_id=1340
I will not personally run in this race. I will be going to DC to support those that are running. I still plan on doing fundraising before I run in the Baltimore Marathon in the fall. But this is an excellent opportunity to do something in the mean time. Thanks in advance everyone.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Home Stretch
I am nearing the end of my treatments. I am going to start my final chemo treatments soon. These are 6, 5 day treatments, spread over 6 months. The prognosis has been great so far. My follow up scan looked great according to my Doctors.
I resumed classes a little more than a month ago. I love my schedule and teachers. Mostly I love being back.
I'm not sure if anyone is still following this blog. But for those of you who are keep others posted and watch for updates regarding my completion of treatment. I will also be doing some fundraising in the future, so watch for that.
thanks everyone
I resumed classes a little more than a month ago. I love my schedule and teachers. Mostly I love being back.
I'm not sure if anyone is still following this blog. But for those of you who are keep others posted and watch for updates regarding my completion of treatment. I will also be doing some fundraising in the future, so watch for that.
thanks everyone
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Taking a break
Sorry it has been so long since my last post. I finished with my radiation treatments on December 17. I won't really know how effective those treatments were for about 6 months. I am now on a break until late January. At that point I will most likely continue with some chemo therapy. These treatments will be for one week periods over 6 months. I have been taking these treatments everyday while doing my radiation so hopefully this will not be taxing treatment.
I responded as well as anyone could have anticipated to the treatments. The only thing that would make it apparent to most that I went through this is the lack of hair on my head. I'm told that the first time it grows back it will likely be a different color /texture. Interesting part of that is that I didn't lose it all over so I may have two tone hair when it comes back.
I still plan on returning to law school in January.
I want to thank everyone for their support and concern. My radiation treatment flew by and that would not have been possible without the network of people who helped me.
I responded as well as anyone could have anticipated to the treatments. The only thing that would make it apparent to most that I went through this is the lack of hair on my head. I'm told that the first time it grows back it will likely be a different color /texture. Interesting part of that is that I didn't lose it all over so I may have two tone hair when it comes back.
I still plan on returning to law school in January.
I want to thank everyone for their support and concern. My radiation treatment flew by and that would not have been possible without the network of people who helped me.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Test Results came back
I got my test results back this morning and the news was good but not spectacular. I was diagnosed with a grade 3 astrocytoma tumor. For those of you who are unfamiliar with tumors. The grade of the tumor indicates the severity. The most aggressive and dangerous tumors are typically grade 4 tumors.
The most important thing to hear as far as I was concerned was that the tumor was not what is called metastatic. This means that the tumor originated in my brain and did not spread from another location. It also means that that the probability of this tumor spreading to another part of by body is unlikely. The bad news is that this is considered a fairly aggressive tumor. The good news is that while it is an aggressive tumor it is relatively slow growing and my doctor feels that he got all of it during surgery.
I will have to undergo some secondary treatment. This is not entirely unexpected. I will have to undergo chemo therapy as well as radiation therapy. While surgery may have been the riskiest part of my treatment, this will be the most difficult.
My doctor and I talked about a lot of things, but what was most important is what we did not have to talk about. I am dealing with something that is difficult but we did not have to talk about "how much time I have." That's because I can, and will come through this just fine. My doctor has dealt with more severe tumors than this and his patients usually survive.
The timeline we did discuss was how long it might be before I am able to get back to school. He thinks that I will be able to resume spring classes. He anticipates that I will be able to choose if I feel I am ready to resume.
Unfortunately discussing this is a little difficult for me right now so I don't want to talk about it over the phone. It makes me sound like I am having a much harder time with this than I really am.
I told members of my family that I didn't take too much time to wonder why this happened to me. The answer has always been obvious. This happened to me because I can take it. With the overwhelming support everyone has shown me throughout this experience, I am only convinced further that we can take it.
The most important thing to hear as far as I was concerned was that the tumor was not what is called metastatic. This means that the tumor originated in my brain and did not spread from another location. It also means that that the probability of this tumor spreading to another part of by body is unlikely. The bad news is that this is considered a fairly aggressive tumor. The good news is that while it is an aggressive tumor it is relatively slow growing and my doctor feels that he got all of it during surgery.
I will have to undergo some secondary treatment. This is not entirely unexpected. I will have to undergo chemo therapy as well as radiation therapy. While surgery may have been the riskiest part of my treatment, this will be the most difficult.
My doctor and I talked about a lot of things, but what was most important is what we did not have to talk about. I am dealing with something that is difficult but we did not have to talk about "how much time I have." That's because I can, and will come through this just fine. My doctor has dealt with more severe tumors than this and his patients usually survive.
The timeline we did discuss was how long it might be before I am able to get back to school. He thinks that I will be able to resume spring classes. He anticipates that I will be able to choose if I feel I am ready to resume.
Unfortunately discussing this is a little difficult for me right now so I don't want to talk about it over the phone. It makes me sound like I am having a much harder time with this than I really am.
I told members of my family that I didn't take too much time to wonder why this happened to me. The answer has always been obvious. This happened to me because I can take it. With the overwhelming support everyone has shown me throughout this experience, I am only convinced further that we can take it.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Results
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. There really hasn't been anything ne to post. Today I was supposed to get my results at my follow up appointment. Unfortunately my pathology report was not ready today. It was a real bummer. It looks like I won't be driving for a while, so for those of you wondering what it is you can do to help. Rides will be highly appreciated for the next few months. I will update the blog the minute I get the report.
Thanks again to everyone who came out to my fundraiser. It was better than I could have ever hoped for. It meant more than you can understand to see how many people I have supporting me.
Thanks again to everyone who came out to my fundraiser. It was better than I could have ever hoped for. It meant more than you can understand to see how many people I have supporting me.
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