Kicking cancer's @ss takes a large personal army. Here’s a glimpse of mine. Maybe we'll even post some photos up soon.
P.S. Posse, this vid's for you, because you ROCK!!!!
My Medical Team
The Docs:
Dr. C: brilliant, amazing surgeon; best stitcher ever; beautiful embracing spirit; totally cool dresser; my make-it-happen ringleader and round-up artist extraordinaire
Dr. B: brilliant and gentle medical oncologist; my co-conspirator in all things slightly ridiculous (like the fact my chemo started on Mexican Revolution Day, or that I think skiing in week 1 might be a good idea, ahem, ok, ok...)
Dr. W: brilliant, tenacious and compassionate radiation oncologist; thorough, plain-speaker; my Nobel-prize winning genius science-guy (or at least, soon to be)
(Yeah, that’s 3 brilliants in a row... I know. Meet them once, and you will too. They seriously blow my mind.)
The Nurse Navigator, Assistants, Techs, Nurses, et al:
Bobbi: My amazing nurse navigator; provider of so much amazing information, free journals, access to resources; incredibly kind and compassionate; always there for my procedures with the right questions and answers; so many details, I have no idea how she does her job, and she does... brilliantly
Debbie: My two-time ultrasound biopsy queen at the breast health center; I love this woman so much; funny, frank, gentle, real, courageous; best haircuts on the planet; probably the only person who could make having a giant vacuum powered needle stuck in your boob seem like not the worst idea on the planet
Liz: Dr. B’s medical assistant; sharp as a tack, she doesn’t miss a trick; bright eyes and ready laugh; instantly puts you at ease; best smile on the planet
Brooke: One of the awesome RN’s Dr. B’s; my Yoda of all things chemo and beyond; world-class port-accessor; co-conspirator for crazy-colored wigs and full sets of coordinating accessories
Tara: One of the awesome RN’s at Dr. B’s; mixer of cocktails and genius port accessor; listens with a smile to my TMI stories
Dianne: One of the awesome RN’s at Dr. B’s; my first infusion nurse; sharp, kind, so gentle and thorough
Infusion RN whose name I forgot due to fog: One of the awesome RN’s at Dr. B’s; my second infusion nurse; fantastic Red Devil pusher and Cytoxan bagger; probably the best conversationalist I have ever met... what a sweetie!
Tech whose name I forgot due to fog: One of the tech’s at Dr. B’s; always a ready smile and a laugh; great bp and pulse ox taker; commiserates with me on the fallacies of the scale (how can it be that one day I am 150 and the next day 155 on the same scale? Impossible!)
Tech whose name I forgot due to fog: One of the tech’s at Dr. B’s; such a kind man; I always weigh more when he weighs me, but that’s okay; excellent Neulasta stick
RN whose name I forgot due to fog: Dr. C’s nurse; always remembers me, even when I am having a fog and can’t remember her; always a ready smile and a kind word and funny story
Ray: Gentle and funny nurse who administered my first MRI IV via my hand (ugh, one of my least favorite places to get stuck, but no doubt, this guy’s got mad skills with the needle stick), gave me a nice glass of water and taught me the meaning of the word “diaphoretic”
Rick: Receptionist at Dr. Chu’s office; such a cool dude; great haircut; always remembers me, and doesn’t freak out when I forget to check out, and that’s just the best
Receptionist at Dr. Bowman’s office, whose name I forgot due to fog: great smile; shares the best stories; always makes me feel so at home and good about my wild hair choices
My two MRI nurses/techs: I am sorry, I forgot your names due to fog, but you were both amazing and so kind to me!
My MUGA RN: I can’t believe I forgot your name due to fog. I’ll see you again soon and remember it. So gentle with an awkward test, and a totally pissed off me; made me laugh and regain my center, and that’s a gift that keeps on giving in this looooong process.
Brandi: My genetic counselor guru; great presenter of information; thorough and detailed; good listener; and, lucky for me, ultimately a bearer of good news (no mutations, woo hoo!)
All the nurses at Renown Roseview Surgery: You ladies are the most amazing on the planet; each of you gave me such impeccable care; you made it okay to have a little fun and be myself during a tough time, and cared for my family on-deck as well.
And the many, many other receptionists, schedulers, techs, medical assistants, RNs, PAs, radiologists, concierges, admissions and billing staff, who have touched my life over the course of this journey so far. Thank you, thank you, thank you. You have all been so incredible. In fact, I’ve only met two people so far who should be voted off the island and in fairness, I reckon I poked the hornet’s nest those days anyways, so in my view, we’re doing pretty dang good.
My Personal Crew:
What can I say about these folks? They rock my world every day with their amazing spirits, love, healing energy and prayers. I’d be lost without them. Period. I'm so grateful for each and every one of you, and for the fact that this list gets to grow every day. What a blessing!
(And hey, if you don’t see your name on this list, and know you’re part of the posse, just blame it on the brain fog, and send me an email to remind me to take a moment to un-cloud today. I could use all the help I can get. ;)
Hubs
Mom
Patsy
Harvey
Kristi
Laminator
Admiral
Hallien
Zane
Denise
Dana N.
Dana B.
DW
D.
Alan
Shy
Dee
SG
Nic
Vic
T.
Cheri
J.Net
Karen
L.O.
Jim
Gretchen
Linda
Bill
Matty
Molly
Sid
Pablo
Angie
Red
Vic
Marti
Mel
Felicia
Karla