Love at MD Anderson evidences itself in various ways: the valet attendant's radiant smile greeting every anxious visitor as early as 6 am; my friend Michelle, the head phlebotomist in the blood lab welcoming me with, "Miss Carrie Pillsbury! Come on down!"eliciting laughter from patients and their families; the librarian who prepared Valentines chocolates and "Blind Dates … Continue reading Valentine’s Day at the MDA
I confess, I enjoy coming to MD Anderson each week. I think it's because everyone here is trying so hard. The staff, the patients, the families - we're all on the same boat paddling in the same general direction, which tends to make us kind and empathetic with one another, too. Today a fellow patient … Continue reading Indelibly Stained
I'm back home from Paris, healthy and overflowing with gratitude. It's a long way from The Lancaster Hotel on Rue de Barri to room 55 at MD Anderson's Mayes Clinic, but I'm fortunate to have access to both. Despite an ATM machine eating my bank card half-way through the trip, the experience exceeded my expectations - which … Continue reading Prescription: Paris
Twenty-nine years ago at Southern Methodist University, I moved into MacElvaney Dorm's third floor corner room, next to the RA and across from Susan Yaksick. Over the following three decades, Susan and I roomed together twice more and this week, we shared a room once again - at MD Anderson. Susan drove in from Austin and spent the night … Continue reading A Dogged Friendship
For almost a decade, my job at Fund for Teachers has allowed me to connect America's best prek-12 teachers with opportunities to design summer fellowships of their dreams. Last week I had the privilege of working alongside a particularly special grant recipient at the College Football Playoff's Extra Yard for Teachers Summit. With his FFT grant, Lavie … Continue reading She Persisted, I Persist
For sports fans, the "Holiday 6" college football bowl games dominated New Year's weekend. The Rose and Orange Bowls did not disappoint, nor did the (Pasadena) Rose Parade floats, including the one with surfing dogs. Crystal bowls, however, provided the highlight of my holiday. Rothko Chapel hosts a Crystal Bowl Sounding (co-sponsored by MD Anderson) on … Continue reading Bowl Games
My new reality, combined with a shaved head and unexpected weight gain from IV steroids prior to each chemo treatment, dealt my vanity a debilitating blow last week, right about when I decided to watch Love Actually for the first time. Let's just say I experienced a cathartic cry. Walking into a plot rife with … Continue reading All We Need is Love
After pulling my hair out by the fistfuls all week, I texted Sarah that it was time. She reached out to our hair stylist, Angelique Hoover, who, in spite of the fact that her grandmother was dying, agreed to come to Sarah's house on Saturday morning at 11:30 to shave my head. Sarah and I … Continue reading Non Sequiturs
My Tuesdays at MD Anderson involve three, sometimes four, appointments: getting my blood drawn to see if I'm healthy enough for chemo; accessing my port (sticking in the needle used for IV chemo); checking in with my oncologist and receiving chemo. Schedulers try to stack these appointments as close together as possible, but it's never … Continue reading Migration at MD Anderson
Three weeks into cancer and I'm figuring out a few things: My port, "Rose," is my best friend. If I can nab a recliner in a certain area of MD Anderson, a hospitality cart rolls by with hot tea - multiple flavor options. MD Anderson's library is well-stocked and more lenient on overdue issues than other … Continue reading Beautiful Disaster
