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Sleepy in Seattle!

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Done with session 17/32 at Seattle's Fred Hutch Cancer Center!  I am at halfway point in my radiation treatment here in Seattle. This seemed an eternity away when I started my treatment on September 3rd, right after the labor day weekend during which I tested positive for Covid. It is crazy how I dodged Covid for years, only to get it on the one emotionally charged weekend. I ended up isolating myself from my girls than hugging them tightly ahead of my hiatus to Seattle. I had lofty plans of getting groceries stocked up and fridge filled with food so my mom can have an easy time managing meals in my absence, and instead required mom to send me quarantine room service! The first radiation session is still fresh on my mind. I was nervous, frightened, not to mention sick (from Covid). I knew they needed to keep my head extremely still, for the obvious goal of ensuring the robot's precision in hitting the tumor cells. What I did not comprehend until that first day was how  they ac...
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Just Do IT!

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The calendar progressed from February 15th to 16th without much fanfare for the first 44 years of my existence. Destiny somehow decided to spruce things up a bit for me on 02.16.2024. One year later, as the date reads 02.16.2025, I have so much to reflect on, so much to feel grateful for! Thursday, 02.15.2024, to begin with,  gave me a headache, but also gave me the right mind to go to ER for it. That D-day, 02.16.2024, upped the ante by making me cross paths with the best medical team possible right at the crack of midnight. They exercised abundance of caution, ordered the battery of tests that enabled them to be ready with my diagnosis by 5am. The day after, 02.17.2024, gave the best gift of all- the sense of purpose. 02/16/2024: Video call from ER It was Saturday, Feb 17th, 2024, and my memories of that day are vivid. We were at a dear friend's place for Baba puja. The aarti had just got done and I stood near their butlers pantry area, waiting with my plate for the buffet c...
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Ringing the bell

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The second half of my radiation treatment has been nothing short of a roller coaster!  I routinely ran into patients of all ages, waiting to receive their treatment at the Proton center. However, the day I saw a toddler in a diaper on his way to radiation, I completely broke down. I just sat down in the lobby, unable to control my emotions. Ian from the front desk came and sat next to me, held my hand, and just let me vent. I talked about how gut-wrenching it was to see that toddler go through so much pain. I cried about how unfair it all seemed. I wondered out loud what that little boy's life would be like. Ian let me talk and cry, and, when I went quiet,  he gently shared his thoughts. He told me that, as hard as he too finds young children going through radiation, he takes comfort in the fact that these kids are getting the best treatment possible. He mentioned how they often get letters from the children's families, two, three Christmases later, letting them know how well ...
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