In the past hour, the third most e-mailed article on the Boston Globe's website has been this one: "BU student's cancer blog," two ahead of the article covering the Patriots' win yesterday and following a top-ten list of places and a restaurant review. So, sweet! Yes, the Globe finally published the article about me and my exciting adventures in Boston as a college student-cancer survivor-allaroundawesome person. The story is wonderfully written, and I really like the photographs. The wait was most definitely worth while. Besides, it isn't particularly a time-sensitive story. The best/most exciting part about this is the people I have heard from already! The article only came out this morning, and I have received e-mails and messages and blog comments. Thank you to everyone who has read the story. You are all very kind.
I just noticed that already my story has been taken over by the Patriots' win in the most-e-mailed, i.e., my imaginary popularity contest that doesn't actually mean anything unless you're in my head, in which case it does a little bit. Such is the fickle world of the media and its public. I will grant you that the Patriots' beating the Giants and setting all kinds of new and crazy records is a big deal. Yesterday's game will remain important and notable for years to come. But its importance is on such a completely different level than my own dogged persistence in living that it almost isn't fair to compare the two. My story just happened to run the day after one of the bigger football games for New England this year. Oh well.
The point is that I am honored the Globe picked up my story. I know I've said this before, but I still don't think what I did is all that exciting. I got sick; I fought like hell; I got better. But cancer happens, and that's pretty much all we can do. Thank you to everyone, again, for reading my b-log. Writing it has helped me so much, and I hope reading it is just as beneficial. I don't think I am going to be able to drop this thing cold turkey. Every so often I find myself thinking, "Haha, that's funny, I should blog about that." So I probably will, although not as regularly as I used to. Everything is going so well here in Boston. I am so lucky and happy and excited for this upcoming semester. Hoo-rah, and Happy New Year! It's about time this past year ended. Good luck and happy tidings to all. Peace.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
7 comments:
Congrats on your article in the Boston Globe! I have enjoyed reading your blog so far and I am telling others to read it also. Good luck in college and photojournalism!
You rock, Caroline. Our paths are similar - this time last year I got a shoulder x-ray which discovered a spot in a nearby part of my lung, which turned out to be metastasized kidney cancer, including mets to the femur, ulna and skull, all through both lungs, and in some muscles.
I've journaled too, on CaringBridge - http://www.CaringBridge.org/visit/davedebronkart. My prognosis was deadly - median survival 5.5 months. But that turned out to be from fairly obsolte data, and a year later my tumors are 88% gone. In the meantime, I too got to face death and many medical unknowns, and my year, like yours, was life altering.
I'm glad you kept a journal. I hope it'll encourage others to do so, because the more we journal and read others' journals, the more connected we become, the more we learn to understand others' experience, and the less we all face unknowns. And that's a good thing.
Dave, Nashua NH, age 57
FINALLY. Now you can become famous and get your book deal--your photo book deal, of course.
I hope you have fun tomorrow night (tonight? screwy time differences). Whether you're going to the city or not--give me a call, I will for sure be up later than you, and also free through much of the day.
Congratulations.
I've linked my blog to yours. I hope, like patient dave, that it brings you more traffic.
As a former BU COM student myself, I was captured by your story, your poems and your photography. What better way to tell a story than to explore your feelings and reproduce them in these different formats.
If you decide you want to publish, please feel free to contact me.
May you have your joy and peace in abundance.
Blessed be,
northernlady
Hi Caroline,
I just read the article about you in the Globe and am extremely touched. You have shown great bravery and courage in your battle against this ugly disease. I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in Septemeber, 2006. To make matters worse, the cancer had metastasized to my liver and kidney. My first words to the doctors were: "Let's attack this disease head on and do whatever is necessary to beat it." I took the same attitude as you did in that I was willing to do whatever was necessary to live. The chemo and radiation treatments were aggressive, but the tumor in my esophagus was destroyed. For the past year, we have been battling the cancer in the liver and kidney. Approved drugs failed to stop the growth of the tumors so I was referred to the Nevada Cancer Institute for treatment on trial drugs. The past year has proven to be rough as I now know what Hell is like. However, all of the discomfort from side effects can not detract from the joy I experience with being alive and around my loved ones each and every day. Like you, I continue to have my moments where I break down emotionally, but I view it as all part of the recovery process. Continue your fight as I do mine. I wish you the best and hope we are both here to ring in 2009!!
Caroline, I loved reading your story. We share many things in common from attending BU to knowing Dana-Farber and all that the cancer experience is all about. Life's view can be a little different when you're standing on top of your head. My wife had small cell carcinoma. Like you, she was brave, selfless, fit, smart, and beautiful among many things. In fact, virtually everything you said Irene had said and felt. Poked, prodded, up, down, defiant, ... God I felt it myself. I wish I could give you a big hug. Never have felt compelled to take part in a blog until now. I don't even know if you can look me up or respond directly. But feel free. It would be my pleasure. Never forget how many people are pulling for you that you've never met. People whose love is headed your way. My wife, my three girls, and myself felt it and still feel it daily. For that, we're lucky. Power to everyone out there. Peace, John S.
Post a Comment