Jun 30 2002
Good news/bad news
Things are looking up. Since it’s us, though, there is a decided good news/bad news flavor to it.
The doctors told Mom that she has a year or two. They are going to start some kind of hormone treatment to stop the cancer from spreading and to help with the pain. If it doesn’t work, then they’ll go on to chemo, radiation, and the really bad stuff. That’s about as good as one could hope for once they say “advanced breast cancer.” So good news: years, not months. Bad news: probably not more than two years. But who knows? That woman is a survivor. And she has a positive attitude, which goes a long way.
My sister Megan has spent the past few months training to be an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT). She got her exam results in Friday’s mail, and I am proud to report that she got 100% on the practical and 90% on the written. Also on Friday, the Coast Hospital called to see if she could come in to talk with them about the one EMT opening they have, which she applied for on the day she had her accident. Ironically, she was on her way to drop off her application when it happened, so she ended up at the hospital after all, just not the way she intended. But she did drop off her application once they released her from the ER.
So she went in to talk to them yesterday, and just when they were offering her the job, they got a call, and asked Megan to come with them. But the call was, sadly, for a 22 year old boy who had committed suicide with a deer rifle. There was little to do but listen to his stilled heart and call the time of death before the police took over.
Megan took it well. I guess it’s a baptism by fire that shows she can do the job. One intense first day at work! Good news: you get the job. Bad news: you have to immediately go to a suicide scene. But I guess if you take on that kind of job, you have to expect that kind of thing.
I’m so proud of her! And I’m glad my Mom is OK for now.
Things are looking up.