Waiting for something to happen!

Today was a day spent doing pretty much nothing at all. Anne was preparing to join her course, by getting all the paper work under way. There were all sorts of certificates to be submitted and university fees to be paid. We saw a classmate Rohit there, who has got admission this year for pediatrics. He was been someone who called me regularly during the past 3 months to make sure I was OK. He had quite a rough timehimself, a few years ago and is quite a fighter after completely recovering from some unknown viral illness that left him paralyzed. Its great to hear a success story, isn’t it? We love to hear about those who have done well.
I remember this to be true and particularly apparent as soon as I was diagnosed with lymphoma. I used to wonder why most people try and remember the story of someone who made it through a tough time – such as cancer. This was how they thought I would be encouraged. “So and so made it through a lung ca, prostate ca….” and so on. But it’s natural for people to do that. I know it’s not possible to draw from personal experience in such cases. But the entire point is letting the other know that you care.
I knew my chances from the start, and these individual success stories are not really going to change the mental picture I have of parents losing kids to hematological diseases from my days as a medical Intern. For every success story there are in fact 2 patients where things didn’t work out. I don’t say this with dejection or remorse. I’m just saying that once I am through this disease, I will be some one who can say – LOOK AT ME, I made it. Lance Armstrong calls it the “duty” of a cancer survivor. I think that carries more weight that saying “I know this guy, who is the brother of a friend of a friend…. Who made it thru cancer”. Don’t you agree?
I just have to sip on my coffee and wait for the radiation therapy doctors to call…