I knew right out of the gate that I wanted to dedicate this treatment to my second cousin, Chris (and Aunt Charlotte's grandson), who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. The son of my fabulous, first cousin, Deidre who lives 'one canyon over' from my mom up in the Monterey area - Chris is a true champ in every sense of the word.
A 15-year old teenager and a boy of few words, Chris has already shown quiet determination (totally genetic!) as he just completed this week's first round of 7/8 days of chemo (insert a loud round of applause here!). And of course, he is amazing and blowing away his team of doctors and medical staff up at Stanford already! Surgery - check. No nausea - check. Good appetite - check. Great attitude - double check.
Instead, Chris prefers to occupy his time with matters of great importance for a teenage boy, like listening to music, watching TV and gaming on his iPad during treatment. And while he and his family spend nearly 4 hours each day driving up to Stanford for his chemo, not a peep or a complaint is heard. Instead, Chris is simply doing the job that's been set before him by his fab medical team along with a great spirit.
And as I continue to stay in close contact with my cousin, I realize that I can really learn some things from my chemo comrade, Chris - like doing what I need to do right now and taking myself less seriously. I even told my cousin Deidre that I wish I could face my own life with cancer like a 15-year old boy - maybe I can. So, I will most definitely make every attempt to channel Chris a little more as I enter into another surgery next week and 7 more months of infusions.
So, join me in honoring Chris - an inspiration and a 15-year old force to be reckoned with!
Awesome Yog...you know it's in the genes! All of this is happening for a reason and the order in which it's happened is equally important. You and Chris are the bomb!
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That Chris sounds like one heck of an awesome human.
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