September 16, 2010 - Rush Oncology Department

I am at my Oncologist office waiting for her to see me. In the waiting room, I am the youngest patient by at least 15 years. Do the other patients realize I am staring at them? I just want to know. I want to know when they were diagnosed. I want to know how they realized they had cancer. Was it a routine check up? Were there symptoms? Did they have symptoms for a long time that they ignored? Could it have been a better outcome if they wouldn't have waited? What stage are they in? Does cancer run in their family? Who is in their support system? How is their support system doing? What is their cancer story? Cancer is such an all consuming overwhelming evil. On a typical day, I don't usually think about the fact that I am a cancer survivor. But, when I am in this room, it all comes back. The fear, the unknown, the unexplainable feeling of having cancer. But I am a survivor! I have officially been one for 2 years and I plan to be one for 50 more.