Personal Narrative: Kiliary Tract Cancer

Wide reaching, nurses significantly outnumbered physicians as providers of health care often having utmost vast reach remoteness to underserved communities. Having personally lived in one of the underserved communities in my hometown Western Africa before moving to the United States of America and my life calling to be a nurse from a young age with the deep desire to make a difference. I plan to contribute and continue to contribute immensely to the underserved communities by delivering quality health care to remote regions around the world. I do volunteer service at several clinics in the Atlanta area with many well-known Emory physicians that care for homeless and underserved populations, these volunteer experiences provide me with opportunities and fulfillment to develop added headship skill and experience to meet my daily patients, needs.

I chose to write an essay about the “Topic of Cancer” by Christopher Hitchens. In this short autobiographical essay, Hitchens discusses his experience with Esophageal cancer. Just one day after lanching his book “Hitch-22” Hitchens was made aware of his illness, where he later describes the news as “taking me from the country of well, to the stark frontier.” It was then he chose to write about his experience for the purpose of documenting the changes that he, and his body were about to go through with chemotherapy, and also for the purpose of contemplating his current situation. The reason that I chose this story is because of my own personal experiences that I have had with many loved ones in my life. There is one case in particular that stands out in my memory, among the rest. It was when my friend of many years discovered that he had a very rare form of brain cancer. Soon after undergoing chemotherapy, he lost his battle. There are many people that believe chemotherapy at any stage is the best, and often times, the only way to cure cancer, yet others claim that chemotherapy is not the answer at all. A close analysis of recent statistics can settle this debate.

Everyday on the news we hear of people dying from or over certain causes. With more than half our population dying downwards, the struggle for the people becomes very rough. We challenge cancer at the moments it strikes us down. Dr Martin Luther king Jr quoted “ The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy”. From donations and fundraisers , we give more money to help the weak and ill so that they could live longer. It is our duty to make sure the people get the help they deserve. It is our responsibility to make sure that we are doing the right thing in aiding the patient as if we are their nurse or doctor. Our job is to keep our society equivalent. Ask yourself what this world really

Throughout my teenage years, I was the embodiment of the average introvert. The pressure to succeed and become a first generation college student in my family was overwhelming, and the constant battle of not being good enough defeated me. My parents only spoke Spanish, and were unable to help me with my school assignments. As I struggled with my academics silently, my self-consciousness and insecurities grew. The fear of speaking out in public was a lingering shadow that developed more, as I grew older. Being that English was my second language, I had always felt inferior to those who spoke English as their primary language.

Leukemia is “a malignant progressive disease in which the bone marrow and other blood-forming organs produce increased numbers of immature or abnormal leukocytes. These suppress the production of normal blood cells, leading to anemia and other symptoms.”An estimated combined total of 162,020 people in the U.S. are expected to be diagnosed with leukemia, 60,192 people die, 14% live in remission and my father is just another statistic. When I was nine years old, my father was diagnosed with Leukemia, an illness that at the time I did not understand. This left my mother raising two kids and working two jobs to make ends meet. Throughout this time of never ending hospital visits, I experienced the kindness and care provided to us by my father’s doctors - something that until this day I will never forget.

Underserved communities are often unaware of the medical process and stress that follows a diagnosis. The medical terminology and understanding the statistics of each approach to treat the health complication can be difficult to understand, especially after the initial shock of discovering life changing news. Health care providers serving these communities must be sensitive, patient and insightful of the many disparities theses patients’ are and will encounter as the medical team moves forward with treatment. Providing care to underserved communities goes beyond the medical practice, it’s having a raw understanding of the many layers of disparities a patient will undergo on a daily basis while being treated for their illness and meanwhile hoping to receive the best medical care possible.

Well, the day after my mother returned from yet another visit, I found out. Apparently, my grandfather had lung cancer and was in desperate need of IV fluids, but he lacked the resources to fund his treatment at a proper, advanced hospital. Because of the unsuitable care he received, he passed away the day my mother arrived to visit him. This anecdote goes beyond poor timing- it reflects how important access to excellent medical care is a matter of life or death. If my grandfather had more money, or maybe lived closer to places adequate for his health needs, he most likely would still be alive, according to my mother. This one incident has pushed me to want to prevent easily preventable deaths from occurring by providing for disadvantaged populations at a greater risk for it. On the other hand, I have seen how receiving the required medical attention saves lives. My head martial arts instructor was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago. While he mostly stopped teaching, he sought the best treatment he could find, which admittedly, was not difficult. The surrounding area has several world-class hospitals with committed and well-trained healthcare

As the cause of a painful death for six hundred thousand people annually, cancer affects nearly everyone in some way. Oncologist Vincent T. DeVita Jr., M.D. shares his journey while on, “the front lines of medicine,” and ,”reveals why the war on cancer is winnable- and how we can get there,”(front cover). Most think they know of the hardships cancer patients face, however, DeVita reaches knew depths to further the understanding of the disease to his readers by incorporating vast amounts of pathos and logos. Through over fifty years of extraordinary work in oncology, DeVita shares personal relationships with patients of his who survived and those not as fortunate. Since the fifties, survival rates of this disease lower every year, though

Andy was embarking on his second semester of his junior year in college. After a long bout with a cold and the sudden emergence of a protruding mass on his chest, he knew something was not right. Within a week, he received devastating news - a diagnosis of an aggressive form of bone cancer. The treatment regiment included two years of chemotherapy and radiation. The extensiveness of his cancer made surgical treatment impossible. After just his first dose of chemotherapy, he became septic and spent six weeks in an intensive care unit followed by weeks of rehabilitation. Although he had been optimistic about continuing to attend classes and staying involved with campus organizations throughout the treatment course, a disabled immune system and countless days in the hospital prevented this. His friends and peers became distant because his appearance and prognosis made them uncomfortable and speechless. He eventually relied on his mother and closest friends to take him to appointments because of increasing weakness and chronic pain. When his world was virtually turned upside down and he eventually lost much of his independence, Andy started to display symptoms of major depressive disorder.

The primary care physician referred Patient A to a medical oncologist. The medical oncologist examined Patient A cancer conditions and found out that the cancer is still in stage one. The oncologist clarified to Patient A and Patient A’s husband that chemotherapy is not necessary. He gave her a clear explanation of the risk that the cancer cells could spread to her lymph nodes if she did not start her treatment immediately. The oncologist answered Patient A questions with sympathy and respect.

Cancer is sometimes referred to as the big C, the C word. When people hear it, they freeze up in silence as though they have seen a ghost. In October, 2005 at the age of 3 I was diagnosed with a rare cancer that only affects 2 to 3 people out of million. After laying on the couch for several days, and complaining of a stomach I was taken to the doctor there we found out that I had Liver Sarcoma. At this time my mom was in the navy so I was admitted into Madigan Army Medical Center, but left soon later and went to Children's Hospital. I didn't really understand what was happening at that time because everything was happening, so fast that I couldn't keep up. From my Nana moving from Texas to Washington St to live with us, to being in the hospital

Life is a concoction of feelings and emotions. A cancer diagnosis can be shattering and can turn their quintessential world into an isolated corner filled with suffering and pain. It can be intensely emotional and debilitating. As patients come face to face with their own death and cope with the many demands of cancer, they tend to look more closely towards their religious beliefs, personal and family values, and what’s most crucial in their life. Accepting the diagnosis and determining how to deal with cancer is challenging. Dr. Bearing is amazed by the superficial and uncaring treatment she receives from the medical staff. She feels lonely and agitated with the lack of contact or worthy communication with anyone. Through her flashback, she recalls instances where she fails to value and acknowledge her students’ work and

The most sobering experience however was with a mesothelioma patient. As with most mesothelioma's, the diagnosis occurred in an advanced stage. Following this experience I have taken a keen interest in the developments of a new treatment in clinical trials, 'pazopanib' an angiogenesis drug, which works by blocking nutrients and oxygen, preventing new blood vessels in cancerous tissue to grow. Reading Robert Weinberg's 'The Biology of Cancer' expanded my knowledge; it was informative to see the treatment of cancer in both theory and practice. In clinic, I observed junior and senior doctors communicating efficiently with patients and how important it was for them to develop a rapport.

When I was a kid, I always wondered why it took so long for an ill person to become well again. I always thought that if the ill person went to the doctor they would be back to normal the next day, but that’s not the case. For some people it took several days, weeks, months, and even years to conquer an illness but as a child I never could understand that. I don’t know how many times I’ve asked my mom or dad how come the doctors don’t get together and make a “miracle” drug that could heal anything and everything. It wasn’t until the age of 15 when my grandmother was diagnosed with breast cancer that I understood why it took so long for others to heal and the process that they had to endure in order to be healthy again. Shortly after my grandmother’s diagnosis, I started looking into what it would take to get a drug that would cure cancer through the approval process on the shelf to save some many others just like my grandmother. But I kept running into a dead end. Everything seemed to keep pointing towards chemotherapy and radiation. Although I wanted something to heal my grandmother fast, chemotherapy and radiation was the only solution if I had wish to see her watch me graduate high school. I went to almost every appointment with her to watch how it helped strengthen but also watch as it drained her energy. A month of chemotherapy and a few weeks of radiation and my

Many psychologists feel that psychological treatment is also a good way to teach patients how to endure their physical treatments. Many of these treatments present physical problems, but the treatments are almost more taxing on the mind. “Research clearly shows that unrelieved pain can slow recovery, create burdens for patients and their families and increase costs to the health care system.” (Rabasca, 1999). In overcoming anything whether it is a task for work, school or anything that can be physically and mentally draining like cancer, it is important to keep a strong mind and a positive outlook no matter how rough it is. Most patients of cancer are so far