Page 58 - Contrast2006
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After arriving at the hospital, you ous areas. Unfortunately, it destroys
had several tests performed, reveal- just about everything else. Hair cells,
ing a small tennis-ball sized tumor bone marrow, muscles, and the im-
in your left lung. Your voice, once mune system are all decimated. In
as sweet as an angel, became raspy the end, more people die of a com-
and hardened. You had been sick mon cold than from cancer.
for weeks prior, but we wrote it off
as a mere head cold. You can't die. You've never been
sick. Never smoked, never drank.
The doctors recommended the You just can't die.
Mayo Clinic, and here we are. We
met the doctor, an expert of respi- July 8, 2061: Only one week of
ratory illnesses. He was a simple, the first round of chemo left.
straightforward man who did not
mince words. "Mrs. Lawson, I agree We had a surprise this morning
with the diagnosis from the hospi- when we woke up. As you sat up in
tal. You have stage T3 lung cancer. bed, part of your beautiful, blonde
The tumor is pushing on the main hair fell away from your head. You
airway and it has begun to damage picked it up, looked at it closely,
lung tissue. Unfortunately, the dis- and burst into tears. I hobbled over
ease has progressed significantly, to you as fast as I could.
and an earlier diagnosis certainly
would have helped." "Oh God, Brian, I'm going to
die. Oh God, please no, I'm going to
"Look, can we cut to the chase? die!"
What are her odds?" I asked.
"No you're not Lauren! Look at
"The medical field has come me!" I said as I shook your shoul-
a long way in the past few years. ders, "look at me! You have the best
Luckily, a brand new, very aggres- doctor in the nation. You have the
sive drug is available that I highly best chemo. And you have me Lau-
recommend for lung cancer. If we ren. You have me. You have your
were to start treatment in the next family."
week, I would guess that it is at best
a coin-flip." "I'm so scared Brian. What did
I do to deserve this? God, what is
Chemo actually kills more peo- going to happen to me?"
ple than cancer itself, I would soon
find out. Chemo is a blend of strong "You're going to be fine Lauren;
poisons designed to destroy cancer- you're going to be fine."
54 I was wrong.
