I thought nothing of it; my dad had just left to supposedly get some tests done. I knew something was wrong because he had some weird bruises, but something like cancer never crossed my mind. I decided to go to sleep hoping to see dad in the morning. Morning came and I knew something much worse than expected had happened. My aunt came in that morning and said that we needed to talk. That day my sister and I found out that our dad had Leukemia. We found out on December 26, 2013, my family and I were in South Carolina visiting family for Christmas and we were about to take a new year’s trip to Florida. At that time we were living in Honduras and I was in 7th grade. I was just a normal kid who enjoyed life living in Honduras, going to a private school and playing tennis every day. Nothing horribly bad had really happened to me yet in my life. Finding out that my dad had Leukemia meant more than just he could die, it meant that life as we knew it would totally change. He was diagnosed with a really rare type of Leukemia that couldn’t be treated in the Honduras, so that meant that we had to move, in the middle of 7th grade. The day my sister and I found out, we went to see him in the hospital. He didn't look too good and was about to start crying. I never thought that from that day on, to enter …show more content…
remission, our dad would have to be in some type of hospital for 48 straight weeks. Watching my dad experience what he did for how long he did, taught me that that the right attitude (and/or mindset) can help you achieve anything.
He was always smiling, never missed work when he could work, and never complained during his whole time in the hospital. My dad's attitude is what got him to remission. That taught me that anything is possible with the right attitude. I think my dad can relate a lot to Stuart Scott and his above quote because from watching interviews with Scott, he always had a smile on his face. Although Scott didn’t beat cancer, his attitude was just like my dad’s and that’s why I chose to use one of Scott’s quotes to relate to my dad and his
story. On August 31st, 2014, my dad achieved remission. It was such a relief and we celebrated for a long time. Another year has passed and he is still doing well but has take a few visits a year to the cancer center to meet with his doctor. His amazing attitude taught me a lot and ever since, I have tried to act the same way. “You beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and in the manner in which you live.”- Stuart Scott
When I think about the moments leading up to my diagnosis I remember feeling weak, confused, shaky and sleepy. I did not notice that I had began sleeping throughout the day. My body was craving soft drinks like soda and juice but not food. Days would go by and I eventually fell into a deep slumber that I found myself only waking up from to use the bathroom. I knew something was wrong and that if I did not get to a hospital it would get worse. Nothing could have prepared me for the life changing diagnosis I would receive.
I’m actually kind of shocked I could write about recovery because it is a topic with a special meaning to myself. But, I found it easier to write about my own experience with a negative event this time, and I believe it is because I grew as a writer. I saw the value the personal testimony adds to a piece, and thus I could add my own story.
This weekend I was paired up with a nurse from the floating pull. It was a very interesting experience. For the first time since the beginning of the semester I can say that I was faced with a lot of critical thinking situations. I spend the day running around reminding my nurse of things he forgot or task we had to finish. It was already 2:00 pm and I still hadn’t performed an assessment on a patient, at this point I remember what Mrs. McAdams had said before “ we are in the hospital to help but our main priority is to learn and practice our skills” so I made the critical-thinking decision to tell my nurse that I needed to at least complete an assessment and since we were about to discharged a patient I could performed a final assessment on him before going home. I performed my assessment, had time to document and helped my nurse with the discharged. This weekend was a very challenging clinical for me but I also learned a lot. I learned to managed my time better, be proactive in my clinical experience and I also found my voice.
It’s amazing how a horrific and negative life changing event can encourage and guide you in the path of your future. The end result may not be visible when it first takes place, but the process of a recovery can be extremely educational. You see, I was provided the opportunity of job shadowing firsthand the fields of athletic training and physical therapy due to a knee injury. I believe the majority of people would consider a severely damaged knee a dramatic setback in life. I was able to find the silver lining during the recovery.
“The word 'leukemia' is a very frightening word. In many instances, it's a killer and it's something that you have to deal with in a very serious and determined way if you're going to beat it” - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Many people, including tons of children, fight leukemia every day trying to beat this vicious cancer. Without knowing how leukemia is exactly caused, it puts a damper on how to avoid it.
The emphasis on health and fitness has become paramount in our society today in an effort to prevent and combat diseases such as Cancers. Cancers are a group of over 100 diseases that affects every aspect of the human system from skin, to bones, to muscles, to blood. One of the most common blood disorders is Leukemia. As defined by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, Leukemia is a type of blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow. The bone marrow is the soft tissue in the center of the bone that is responsible for the production of blood cells. The term leukemia means white blood. The term leukocytes refer to white blood cells, which are body’s defense against infections and other foreign substances. When Leukemia occurs there is an uncontrolled increase in the number of white blood cells. When this occurs, these cancerous cells inhibit the production of healthy red blood cells, platelets, and mature white blood cells. Over time the cancerous cells can spread to the bloodstream and lymph nodes. They can also travel to the Central Nervous System and the rest of the body.
My kids have had no childhood illnesses other than chickenpox, which they both contracted while still breastfeeding. They too grew up on a healthy diet, homegrown organics etc. Not to the same extent as I did, though, as I was not quite as strict as my mother, but they are both healthier than I have ever
"Ring, ring", I wondered who was calling me at this time of evening. "Yes; o.k.; Yes, I'll be there", I said before hanging up the phone. What was wrong, I wondered all that evening that the doctor wanted me to come in to discuss my lab results? I had never been asked to come in to the office after doing blood tests before; when receiving a call as this the mind plays tricks on the person and wild things start popping up in the head.
Never would I have expected something this exponential to happen to my father and have such an impact on my family. When I was younger I used to be upset that I was the only one doing things around the house, but as I got older I knew my father appreciated all my help. My grandparents would also try and help as much as they could. I am thankful that I have become a better and stronger person during my father’s battle with this horrific disease. It has made a huge impact on the person I am today and the person I plan to be as I grow older. My father will always be an amazing person and a substantial fighter in my eyes. He decided to go and buy an iPhone so that we can FaceTime at least once a day and it’s something I always look forward to. No matter what mood I am in, Dad always knows how to put a smile on my face. We all urge everyone to go and have their house tested for radon levels just to be safe. So tell me, when was the last time you told your parents you loved
Cancer. A disease that affects the lives of eight million men, women and children each year worldwide. I am just one out of the eight million. After losing my only aunty to stomach cancer three years ago, during the midst of the struggle of coming to terms with the loss, I began reading Livescience and National Geographic articles about cancer in hope to find answers about a disease that millions were losing against. Learning that an uncontrollable division of cells as small as 20 micrometers can cause cancer fascinated me. It fuelled my desire to learn more about diseases and the massive impact they have and bought me to a realisation that Biomedical Science would be an excellent course for me to study. Studying modules such as Cancer Biology and Clinical Microbiology would give me a greater understanding about genes accountable in the development of cancer and also diagnosis of human disease.
It was July 22nd when I got the phone call that my great grandma was in the hospital. It was so shocking to me I didn’t even know what to think I had just been up there to see her two days ago prior to then. My dad had called me and told me in a calm but of course I know my dad to well to know that he was calm but actually pretty scared and frantic. I was at work and a perk to my job is that I work at a family owned business that is actually close to my family.
Sometimes we don’t expect the worst in life. My family and I definitely didn’t, my dad had a full time job at The YMCA, was a local youth pastor, and full time pastor. The day we found out about his diagnosis was a hard one. I don’t remember the “official” day it happened, but I do know it was a tough. This disease definitely changed our lives from the start of it. In the beginnings
My father's eyes opened, and he called out for my sister Kelly and I to come to him. In a very serious and sad voice, he told us that he was very sick, and he was going to the Fort Wayne hospital. My mother told Kelly and I to help her pack some things for him, because he was going to be leaving soon. We helped her pack, keeping quiet because we did not want to interrupt the silence that had taken over the room.
I remember exactly when my dad called my sister and me in the living room to tell us the news. My dad’s face was a face I had never seen before, looked as pale as ice and chocked like if he had seen a ghost. I could see there was something wrong but nothing could have prepared me for that kind of news. The words came out and I thought at first it was a joke. I asked him the question and already knew the answer. My sister started crying and my dad fell in tears too. I couldn’t cry, just wouldn’t come out, I was too stunned by the horrible news.
In my life, I have been a leader in many situations. Ranging from school clubs such as the FFA, FCCLA, and to my favorite, The Immune Deficiency Foundation. As many instances there has been in both of those organizations that I am proud to be apart of, being a leader in The Immune Deficiency Foundation is my favorite one to tell about. I could talk about this amazing foundation for hours. With having a Primary Immune Deficiency, it is easy for me to be a leader in that community because I am able to relate my own experiences with others. For about the first fifteen years of my life, I was avoiding my disease and wanted no part of it. Being spiteful and stubborn towards it, I was never willing to take action on it. In mid 2015, we stumbled across The