I remember the day perfectly… June
5th 2012. I walked though those office doors. As I approach the desk
without stating my name, the receptionist greets me with a warm “Hello
Michelle, how is work going.” Never
thought I would be a regular… at a doctor’s office. I hated going there, lately it was bad news
after bad news and even I knew that my body could not take much more before
things start to “break” for good. This
disease is rare, and although a decent amount of research had been done on the
subject, I happened to fall into the 15% that did not respond to treatments…
next step, transplant. I’m called back
and again, everyone knows my name.
My doctor, we’ll call him Dr. R,
along with 4 other NPs, PAs, and residents enter the room. Although I recognized all of them, I was
surprised by the crowd. Dr R. sat down next to me and said “Michelle, I could
just hug you!” A little bit weird you
might think, coming from a doctor to a patient, but when you see your doctors
more than your own mother, these people become part of your family. I didn’t
know whether to laugh or cry, so I just sat there in silence, bracing myself
for the worst. Dr R broke into a big smile going on to tell me that my levels
were back to normal and I was “out of the woods” so to speak. I started crying
(happy tears for the first time in months) as he continued… “I was so sad for you 8 months ago. You were a
young and successful 23 year old and nothing was working. We are all so proud
of you. You are one of our greatest accomplishments.” Applause spread throughout the tiny exam room.
This last year has been rough, a
rollercoaster really. I could not have done it without all the awesome people
in my life!! I am truly one of the lucky ones… things could have been a lot worse
for me. I see people fight for their lives
every day, young and old, parents, children, friends, etc. Some win the fight
and some don’t… my thoughts are with all of them always. I know how it feels to be scared and unsure.
It’s been a long time since my last
blog… So, what’s with the random blog?!?!?
I want to take some time to share what I am thankful for. (I
know… a little bit late for Thanksgiving… but let’s be serious, anyone who
knows me is fully aware that I have a severe problem with tardiness.)
So… here it goes:
1. First and foremost, my amazing and awesome
family. I know I say it a lot, and I will keep on saying it… I COULD NOT HAVE
DONE IT WITHOUT YOU ALL!! Even being 2 ½ hours away, I felt like you were all
sitting right next to me, holding my hand, crying with me when things got a
little bit rough. Mom and Lindsey… thank you soooo much! Grandma and Grandpa,
Aunt Barb and Uncle Gonz, Uncle Jack and all my cousins, I love you
guys sooo much and I hope you know how much you all mean to me!!
2. My friends, all of you who stuck by me at my
worst (I know I was hard to put up with at times). I always knew that I had
someone to turn to. You all are truly the
best and you know who you are. I love
you all and hope you know that I am very lucky to have every single one of you
as a friend. Special shout out to Eliza
and Sylvia… these girls were on the front line, thank you girls!!
3. My job. I get witness miracles everyday! Who
could ask for a better job!?!?!? With the miracles comes tragedy. Someone
touches my life everyday… and sometimes I even get to touch theirs… a patient,
a scared spouse, a grieving family member. I spent my first 2 years on 514, my co-workers
became my Rochester family. I am thankful for every single one of them. I was
lucky to be able to have a flexible schedule and awesome co-workers to step in
when I wasn’t feeling so hot. Thank you guys for being so supportive. I miss
you all. I have been healthy enough these last few months to be able to challenge
myself on my new unit.
4. Opportunity. I have been able to travel the
world. As of June 2012, I became one of 5 Americans and approx 15 in the world
to receive an international degree in nursing. I couldn’t have done it without
the one and only Prof Maher (actually I believe it is Dr. Maher now!!! YAY
Congrats!!). Thank you so much!!! You are truly a great role model!
5. And last but certainly not least, all those
amazing doctors I mentioned above. These NPs, PAs and doctors would call me in
between appointments to make sure I was doing okay and answer any questions I
ever had. Thank you for not giving up on
me, for getting me better, and always making sure that I was being taken care
of!
Well bloggers, that’s it for now. Thanks for reading. Until
next time, over and out.
Michelle
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