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July 5, 2006
- Day 1 - Week 14 - Long Day at Cedar’s Sinai
Hospital
Jennifer and Mark Buenzli, our
daughter and son-in-law, spent the entire day in a
maze that is called the modern hospital. More and
more of us will be taking along hand held GPS units
just to navigate the medical complexes of the 21st
century. Jen, who had undergone what was to be a
routine hysterectomy last Wednesday, is now facing a
new challenge in addition to recovering from the
surgery. They journeyed from Orange County north to
the hospital where her new gynecological oncologist
hangs his shingle. She was to review the options
for treatment of cervical cancer; cancer that was
only discovered because of her operation.
Granted the tumor was removed,
the scans were clear, but radiation has been
prescribed to make sure no little invisible "nasties"
are hanging around waiting to attach themselves to
Jennifer again. Tomorrow we will have all of her
lab work, scans, and procedures given a second look
by Dr. Larry Piro.
It was a hard day for Jen and
Mark. The waiting, anticipation, uncertainty, and
the downright aggravation of having to deal with a
series of radiation treatments while trying to raise
two small children is a bit daunting, no frankly
overwhelming to consider. Her tears flowed again as
the reality sunk in that the independence and health
she felt just a week ago was being denied because of
cancer. Routine life was now going to be anything
but routine.
As families go we are rather
few in number. My brother and his wife Elizabeth,
Jennifer and Mark, Brad, Laura and three grandkids,
and Katy and Peter – that’s it. Not even
considered to be a flock, we have two members whose
wings have been clipped a little.
As a parent I have been more
emotionally touched by Jen’s cancer than my own.
That is understandable because of age difference,
her parenting young children, and my wanting for
her, a long and productive life, like I have had.
It is comforting to know of the
support surrounding Jen; family and friends care and
will be there for her. Yet, the blow to Jen’s whole
being is very real. The wind being knocked out of
the sails, hers, mine and the families illustrates
what the days have felt like recently. For me, it
is hard to focus on the big issues like global
warming, loss of ocean and forest health etc. as I
have been doing for years, when the immediate issues
are so present. But there will be time for those
again. The issues will not disappear and we will not
be taping EarthTalk Today again until
September anyway. I’ll let Al Gore carry the torch.
Now is time to focus on getting well and taking
deep breaths; very deep breaths.
Back to Week 14 |
