It was around September; autumn was just around the corner, when I felt a swollen gland in my throat and wondered, “How could I be catching a cold this time of year?” Besides not feeling good, I was feeling a little down because at this time of year, right before it starts to get cold, I always look back throughout the year. Then I realize I didn’t do anything special or exciting but work; didn’t do any traveling, didn’t have a “first time” type of story for the year and didn’t complete anything off my “always wanted to do list.” My mind switched back to my cold and I wondered if a trip to the family doctor would fix my throat with antibiotics or if I should make a quick stop to the local Walgreens, for some over-the-counter cold remedies. My decision was to see the family doctor, Mr. Rivers, which for those of you old enough to remember could be right out of a Marcus Welby, MD episode. Stately and distinguished Dr. Rivers, older with slightly graying hair used his ordinary flashlight with the confidence of a seasoned medicine man. After a quick look down the throat and the familiar “ah” while he listened with his stethoscope, he always gave his patients the diagnosis before you left. This time the visit had a different feeling about it as not only was the right side of my throat still hurting but now a strange earache on my right side had surfaced. To add to my already “down in the dumps” mood, Dr. Rivers gravely advised, “You need to see an ear, nose and throat specialist.” For the first time in any episode I could remember, Dr. Marcus Welby, aka Dr. Rivers couldn’t fix his patient and I was advised to make an appointment with a Dr. Wright. Trujillo 2 While the pain was intensifying, especially during eating or swa... ... middle of paper ... ...atingly painful, I had time to rethink my life and the changes I promised to make or depending on my diagnosis, would have time to make. Would I have the courage to do scary and crazy things off my list? Or would I “play it safe” and just keep to my routine? Every time the phone rang, my heart raced and I nervously answered with a trembling voice. Finally, the phone delivered my fate, the results are in and the cyst is non-malignant, my prayers to God sent everyday and sometimes hourly have been answered. Life is precious; I’ve been given a second chance. Thanks to God’s timing, I now decide to live life to the fullest, Trujillo 4 never stop thanking Him for the things He bestows on me. The line from the Tim McGraw song, says “Live like you were dying,” now my mantra for life that is never forgotten and always turned up loud when it comes on the radio.
life, when he goes through the trenches, you go with him. When he hits a home
Terry knew that aches and pains are common in athlete’s lives. At the end of his first year of university there was a new pain in his knee. One morning Terry woke up to see that he could no longer stand up. A week later Terry found out that it was not just an ache he had a malignant tumor; his leg would have to be cut off six inches above the knee. Terry’s doctor told him that he had a chance of living but the odds were fifty to seventy percent. He also said that he should be glad it happened now fore just 2 years ago the chance of living was fifteen percent. The night before his operation a former coach brought Terry a magazine featuring a man who ran a marathon after a similar operation. Terry didn’t want to do something small if he was going to do something he was going to do it big. "I am competitive" Terry said, "I’m a dreamer. I like challenges. I don’t give up. When I decided to do it, I knew it was going to be all out. There was no in between Terry’s sixteen month follow up he saw all the young people suffering and getting weak by the disease. He never forgot what he saw and felt burdened to thoughts that died to run this marathon. He was one of the lucky one in three people to survive in the cancer clinics. Terry wrote asking for sponsorship " I could not leave knowing that these faces and feelings would still be here even though I would be set free of mine, s...
It was a true cancer horror story but she had stayed strong through everything and had a beautiful baby boy. After she gave birth, we went to see her and give her the check. We traveled to downtown Wilmington and visited with her new born baby, Gabe, and her husband. As we prepared to leave, we handed her the check from all of our fundraising for her. She took one look at the check in hand and bursted into tears.To her, the $1,000 check we handed her was so much more than a significant amount of money. It was a slight weight lifted off her shoulders, an emphasis on the fact that she was not in this alone, before nor
'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and
Diagnosed with cancer and given just months to live, Randy Pausch decided to give a last lecture. Randy felt this was important so that he may give a sort of goodbye to those who he cared about, share advice and life-experiences that he felt were important, and most importantly for his kids, whom would never really get to know him because of their age. This book is a collection of stories and general life advice that Randy felt was important to share before moving on.
“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “Everything will be all right.” My doctor was there. That reassured me. I felt that in his presence, nothing serious could happen to me. Every one of his words was healing and every glance of his carried a message of hope. “It will hurt a little,” he said, “but it will pass. Be brave.” (79)
One fateful day at the end of June in 1998 when I was spending some time at home; my mother came to me with the bad news: my parent's best friend, Tommy, had been diagnosed with brain cancer. He had been sick for some time and we all had anxiously been awaiting a prognosis. But none of us were ready for the bumpy roads that lay ahead: testing, surgery, chemotherapy, nausea, headaches, and fatigue. Even loud music would induce vomiting. He just felt all around lousy.
The doctor contains his professionalism, but as it goes on, pieces of frustrated irregularities begin to surface. As the doctor learns that the parents say no, that the girl says she doesn’t have a sore throat, he purs...
The definitions of death and life have always been controversial topics since the beginning of civilization. When determining the beginning of life and the end of life, there are just too many factors to consider and there are also uncertainties that have yet to be settled. For example, do the factors have to be strictly observable and physical or can they also include the organism’s state of mind and whether it shows any psychological defects as well? And also let us not forget that for humans religion also plays a crucial role in both the definitions of life and death and the maintenance of life. Unfortunately, the people all over the world have not come to ultimate definitions of life and death but we can only keep trying to get closer until we finally discover just when we are forever separated from this world and what keeps us going in this world.
Structuring my life around that which is eternal and cannot be destroyed or taken away (John 6:27)
The abstract idea of life cannot be explained by such simple ideas as being animated, breathing, or speaking. Ordinary machines in this century can perform all of these basic functions. The quandary with defining death is not as abstract and elusive as that of life. The problem of defining life and death has plagued philosophers and the religious bodies for thousands of years for one reason; each philosophy or religion has tried to define the meaning of life and death from only their certain perspective. The seemingly appropriate approach to this problem would be to understand the ideas presented in various philosophies and religions and through this knowledge create a new definition for each idea of life and death. The movie Blade Runner has taken this exact approach in its attempt to finally define life and death in a logical and un-spiritual manner. By taking the position that death is a concrete idea that can be explained, Blade Runner accomplishes the task of interpreting the idea of life in terms death. Through this approach, the meaning of life is redefined to accommodate for the existence of the replicants. Also, as a result of this novel notion of life, it is apparent that humans and replicants never actually live, even though they are alive.
Not only are my parents in the field of health, but also are my brothers. My father is a consultant otolaryngologist, so those regular winter colds never lasted long. My mother, whom I see as a role model and inspiration, is a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology, dedicated to helping women. The elder of my two brothers is a plastic surgeon, while the younger is a dentist. Because I had a very medicinal family, the esoteric field of healthcare was no longer an enigma to me. One by one, I began my submersion into medicine by accompanying my mother to her daily clinic. Keenly observing her w...
Jesus has taught me to be thankful for all the blessing I have in life.
First, my mother giving birth, then this. Early June, I paid a visit to the doctors, where she suggested I get an MRI due to a lump in my stomach that caused a lot of unknown pain since the sixth grade. After getting many blood tests and doing the MRI, I got scary results. I found out I had a tumor in one of my ovaries. Being shocked from the news, it did not stop me from doing anything I loved. My parents were stressed and I felt guilty. After consulting with a surgeon, we had to figure out the surgery date. We kept on postponing the date because we kept on going to other surgeons in the area to see the best. Finally, the surgery date was set in November. The surgeon we chose told me the tumor can be cancerous and they would know during the surgery if it was. He also told me that the tumor was the size of a cantaloupe! I was afraid, but I think my parents were more afraid. After staying in the hospital for three gruesome days. I finally got to go home. I had about a month to recover, then I went back to school and lived my life normally once again. Those were the dreadful days of living in a
One of my most memorable experiences in Asia was my trip to the doctor. I knew that my slight fever and scratchy throat could be contributed to lack of sleep. With a twelve-hour time difference, I had the worst jet lag that was possible. Yet, the Secretariat felt that I should go to the doctor, so off I went. Once we arrived I took one look at the building and decided that I felt much better. The office was a hole in the wall that practiced family medicine and surgery. It was in stark contrast to the gigantic, pristine medical facilities I was used to. There was a very long line to see the doctor so I took a seat next to a hacking baby and an anxious young mother. What happened next was the most distressing part of my adventure. Once my chaperone announced that I was part of the school program, the doctor took me right away. As I followed the nurse back I passed by people who had been sitting there for much longer. There was a man with b...