You don’t want to believe in those Friday the 13th
superstitions, but last Friday did seem like my mom’s unlucky
day.
You don’t want to believe in those Friday the 13th superstitions, but last Friday did seem like my mom’s unlucky day.
After an interminable wait and rescheduling several appointments, the surgeon finally saw her to discuss her recent biopsy for breast cancer (10/5 column). He told us my mom has invasive ductal carcinoma and that she should have it removed no later than within the next two weeks. He scheduled it for last Monday.
Then we spent all day Friday visiting doctors to prepare for surgery – from 9am to about 7pm. It was hard on her going through so many tests.
After the ultrasound, EKG, chest X-Ray, urinalysis, blood testing, etc., she said, “You really have to be strong to have cancer, don’t you? It’s not for wimps. This is longer than my work day.”
I said, “Mom, you are doing a little too good a job of making me aware that October is ‘Breast Cancer Awareness Month.’ ”
It was during one of these tests that a startling discovery was made. It turns out that the carotid arteries in her neck are almost completely blocked. The surgeon fears it will not be safe to put her under general anesthesia, so breast cancer surgery is out of the question for the moment.
I can see why people are often afraid to go to the doctor or to have tests done, fearing that they might get the kind of bad news we just got.
But, on the other hand, going in for a mammogram and finding out we have a more serious problem might be a blessing in disguise.
This knowledge can enable doctors to save her life.
So it’s off to a cardiovascular specialist this week who will recommend our next plan of action. I want to thank so many people who have been sending their good wishes and prayers. Many have offered to come sit at the hospital or to help out in other ways.
Sometimes adversity brings out the best in people, and I have really seen it in Gilroy this week.
My friend Jonathan, the local Japanese-American soldier we have been following the story of (7/27, 9/14 columns), has finally made it to Baghdad, Iraq (by way of Gulfport, Mississippi; Bangor, Maine; Istanbul, Turkey, and Kuwait).
He writes, “It has been two months since being mobilized. I finally arrived in Iraq last week. We hit the ground running. There is lots of work to do and the troops were eager to finally get started.” He is a Navy Reservist Seabee with 20 years experience who has been sent to Iraq, leaving a wife and three daughters behind. The Seabees were formed to provide the military with a construction crew that is also capable of defending itself in combat.
“We have taken over a couple of projects from the relieved battalion,” Jonathan writes. “One of the jobs my company is doing is building a bunch of SWA (South West Asia) huts for some Marines to live in. SWA Huts are insulated freestanding buildings with air conditioning and electrical service. We are also doing jobs all over the west, primarily for the Marines.
“They jokingly call this Base ‘Camp Cupcake’ because there are some amenities that are posh compared to other camps. The food galley is pretty incredible. It seems about the size of a Wal-Mart and there are five or six serving lines, a cake and ice cream bar and taco bar.
“If I was an AC (Air Conditioning) guy, I could make a fortune here. This place is also called the ‘Land of Not Quite Right.’ We in the US are sticklers for building codes and quality materials. Out here in the wild west we have 240V fluctuating power and patched up buildings and no Home Depot. And my friends think my house is funky?!
That’s all for now, Out.”
