While the memories are distinct and clear, it was all such a blur and in an instant, my life had changed� The phone rang and someone in the house had answered, it was the neuro-ophthalmologist and he asked us...
While the memories are distinct and clear, it was all such a blur and in an instant, my life had changed�
The phone rang and someone in the house had answered, it was the neuro-ophthalmologist and he asked us to come in immediately. When we arrived, he wasted no time and pulled no punches.
�Chris, your MRI showed a very large mass in the center of your brain. I�ve already contacted the chief of neurosurgery at Yale NH and he and his team are waiting for you.�
Today marks fifteen years since that fateful day and I have learned so much � about myself, but also about perseverance and realizing that not much else truly matters except for family, health and happiness. I will surely celebrate and enjoy the day, but I�d be remiss if I did not take this time to reflect and express my gratitude for life and all of you.
For far too long, I had taken life for granted. I set lofty goals for myself and was determined to achieve them, but you know the story, life had different plans for me. And all these years later, I now realize and can proudly say that this has been for the better and is oddly the best thing that could have happened to me.
I found my purpose in life and am grateful to wake up every day and help patients and families undergoing a brain tumor diagnosis. Although I am not a neurosurgeon or a neuro-oncologist, I get to take my experience and share that with patients and families in need of support and guidance. I suppose it is therapeutic, but I also think I enjoy getting to use my law degree in a non-traditional way of problem solving and getting good results, be it treatment or financial support. None of this was on my radar in 2008 as I was wheeled into the OR, but life led me to this point.
Through it all, the surgeries, gamma knife, countless MRIs and the feeling of hopelessness and despair, I�ve been blessed to have the greatest support system in my family and friends�I�m incredibly lucky. I still keep in touch with my neurosurgeon, who�s become a great friend to me, as well as the many nurses who cared for me. Again, had you told me this is what would happen back in 2008, I would�ve said you�re crazy. In my office, I have a box of all my stuff from 2008 � the flash cards, ABC board, homework from rehab, my progress reports, etc. Each July 2nd, I open that box and I flip through it all, and while I still laugh at most of homework assignments, reading the progress reports, especially the neuropsychologist�s reports still jars me.
Yet, here I am, stronger than ever.
So today, fifteen years since that dreadful day, I�m still standing and I believe that my best days are yet to come. I don�t have a crystal ball to know what life has in store for me next, but I know that because of this journey and all of the remarkable people who have played a part, �I got this,� just as I said to my family that ominous morning fifteen years ago.
