CHANGE – Chapter #2

I ask not for a lighter burden,

But for broader shoulders

As it is once again time to do the three month ” jug -o- pee” collection I realized that change has once again fallen upon me. Never mind the all the personal stuff from the perivous post this one is medical. Just when you think life couldn’t throw you another curve ball, one comes screaming towards you. This one is unintentional and unfortunately part of the process. I may be making my final drive to the Brantford Hospital today and although it’s no centre of excellence for NET cancer I have always received great care there from a caring staff. From my doctor, nurses, volunteers and reception staff we have gotten to know each other. I stand out from some of the others with jug I proudly set on the floor by the nurses station, to which always brings a laugh. That will be missed.

I have received word that my medical oncologist is leaving his practise here and moving on, a tough pill to swallow. After almost five years we grew as a team, learning together about this rare and complex type of cancer. Always approachable and compassionate in his mannerism, I can selfishly say I’m not happy he’s leaving. Although of course I wish him the best and know that wherever he goes some lucky patients await. To find a doctor with also some of the same interests as running and hiking is rare, it was also a friendship. Him saying to me once, “it’s nice to sit and get to know you, most patients I see three years or less.” It takes a special kind of person to be a medical oncologist knowing most outcomes will not end well, heartbreaking.

Now I don’t have to leave Brantford, it is still my choice. However, given the fact of where I live and I’ll be assigned a new oncologist it only makes sense at this point to move my primary care. I’m not 100 percent how it works exactly, but today I will be asking the medical staff to transfer my care/files to London Victoria Hospital. My meeting there about four months ago had me scheduled to meet a specialist when Radiation almost entered my life. In a weird mix-up though I almost met another medical oncologist who seemed to take a keen interest in my case. I take some chance encounters as more than that, maybe this was in the cards all along. London also offers much more in the way of more Doctors familiar with NET cancer and all the resources in one place to deal with it. Another plus is it takes about a half an hour off my drive, although driving downtown London is no treat.

I have always said “TIME” is my most precious commodity and that has not changed, the one constant not to change. But I’m not going to lie to anyone here, I can’t wait for the calendar to change over to 2025. We will continue to push forward with a re-building process to end the year and hit next year like a fast paced run. Using the past whether it’d be good or bad to reshape the future and only make us better/stronger people.

Today however will be the last day I park in front of my old house and make the short walk to the hospital where this all began almost five years ago. There will be no strut with my pee jug today, just a touch of sadness. As I close the door on another piece of my past, one that will never be forgotten. Change… I never thought I’d have so much all at once, but everything has to happen for a reason, right???

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