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TRUE STORY/SHERRY MCGUINN
No One Knows, Why Cancer Grows
That’s the party line, anyway
Today, I had my six-month check-in with my oncologist. I see him in October and then in April. In between, in February, are my mammograms. I’ve never missed an appointment in the seven years since I was diagnosed with early-onset breast cancer.
Thankfully, my blood work was perfect and the manual exam pronounced “normal.” That’s what every woman wants to hear, but unfortunately, and more frequently, that’s not the case.
My doctor is excellent as is the entire team. Northwestern Medicine Cancer Center is renowned for its top-of-the-line care and the fact that the staff treats patients as individuals, with a level of empathy that lifted me up and kept me going when I needed it the most. And, it still does.
After my doctor and I go over my test results, we sit and gas for a while. He asks me about my writing, if I’m still driving my Fiat, and all the other not-so-little things that let me know he hears me. And he’s been hearing me for seven years.
That’s when I can relax, take a deep breath and think, “Another six months clear. I’ll take it.”
The Cancer Center is always busy but today, there seemed to be more people in the waiting room than usual. We…
