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Rachael Trudon
Dr. Reid
English 101
September 3, 2015
2 Years of Chemo and 6 Years of Remission Later
April 23, 2009 was the day I had been waiting for all school year, because it was
the day our whole 4th grade was going to go to Six Flags for a field trip. However, when I
woke up that morning I did not feel good, and my mom and I both knew I shouldnt go
on the field trip that day. I was having difficulty breathing, causing my veins in my chest
to bulge out and cause worries. I was also extremely tired and having trouble walking up
two stairs, and I had to sit down for about three minutes in between every two steps. My
mom didnt have any idea of what could possibly be wrong, so we both agreed that we
would have an easy day, and not do anything that could put my lungs over the edge. My
mom is a real estate agent and she had an appointment to meet with our family friend,
Crissy, to show her a little red house in Mansfield, the next town over. When Crissy came
over to the car she asked me how I was feeling and looked at my chest. She suggested
that I see the doctor because she thought it was asthma, since her youngest son had
asthma and these were similar symptoms as to what he had.
Two short days later on April 25th I went to my family doctor, Dr. Friedman. He
examined me, said I was fine and if I didnt feel better within the next two days then to
come back again. With symptoms getting worse as the day went on, I found myself in the
waiting room at my doctors again on August 27th. Immediately after he examined me and
listened to my lungs he looked at my mom and exclaimed that she should bring me to the

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emergency room immediately, and that he would call and let them know that we were on
our way.
April 27, 2009 was the day that changed my life forever. Before this day, I never
thought that anything bad would ever happen to myself or anyone else in my family. As
soon as we entered the hospital, we got into the check in line where everyone else was
waiting. No one looked physically sick enough to stand out. The lady that was working at
the desk told me to come into the back right away. However, she was telling everyone
else that was ahead of me in the line to go sit in the waiting room and someone will come
out shortly to bring them back. This was when I started to get worried, because I knew
my doctor had called over and told the emergency room something, and maybe thats
why my mom had looked so worried. Two nurses and two doctors, as well as a nursing
assistant, entered the room. The nursing assistant began to take my blood pressure as
another nurse took my temperature and continued to multitask; this is when I knew
something had to be wrong because they were not wasting any time. Seconds after that,
they had me put on a hospital gown, told me to lay flat down on the bed and that they
were going to take me into the examination room to do tests and x-rays. I was in shock at
this point and so was my mom. I didnt know what to think, because initially I thought it
was asthma which was why I was so confused as to why they were acting upon the matter
so quickly.
Hours later I woke up in a completely different room with dividers in the middle
separating me from several other children, machines beeping with IVs connecting from
it to my arm. At this point, I had been asleep for several hours. The last thing I
remembered was being rolled out of my room and into the x-ray room. Dr. Iscalf, who

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was the on call oncology doctor, and Christine, the child life specialist, were surrounding
me when I woke up. My mom was on the phone with my dad and kept on telling him to
tell my sisters that we were spending the night so they can finish conducting blood tests.
Christine was trying to create a conversation with me, however I made it very clear that I
was not in the mood to talk to anyone at the moment. I was extremely irritated and just
wanted to go home at this point I was emotionally and physically tired. An assistant
entered the room and began to roll me out towards the dark hallway where all I could see
was the red exit sign that was hanging from the ceiling and the sign that said faculty
elevator. Although I was hoping for them to take me towards the exit sign, I knew that
was not realistic. I was brought to the 8th floor, which was the inpatient cancer and blood
disease floor. I automatically knew that I wasnt staying over so they could conduct more
tests. I knew it was something much more serious. I began to have a head rush of the list
of possible things that could go wrong with me, and of course the first one was about me
having cancer. Yet, I knew this could not be true because something that bad would never
happen to me.
After having a long day and even longer night in the doctors office and
emergency room, I woke up the next morning with a familiar face, Christine the child life
specialist, and a unfamiliar face, Dr. Hagstrom. It was then that I was told that I had
Lymphoblastic Lymphoma cancer. I didnt know what to think, I was in shock. All I was
thinking was how is this happening to me, this cant be true, they misdiagnosed me. I had
always heard about people being diagnosed with cancer, but never thought anyone in my
family or friends, and certainly I would never get diagnosed with it. I was surprisingly

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calm and I let them explain to me what was happening. I was told that I was going to be
considered an inpatient for the next month, and I wasnt allowed to leave the hospital.
The hardest part about the two years of intense chemotherapy was having to
watch how it affected my sisters and parents. My oldest sister is going to school to be an
oncology nurse, and my youngest sister dreams of going to school and becoming a
doctor. This way, both my sisters can become a role model and influence to other
children who are struggling in their life and need a boost of reassurance, just like my
nurses and doctors gave to me. My mom now donates $100 from each closing she has.
Each year she has decided to help a different foundation, and this year she is helping
Nick with PJ Day for the Kids. She recently just donated $2,500 to Nicks organization
created for the Oncology department. His sister Charlotte and I were diagnosed on the
same day and had rooms right next to each other. Nick likes to pay it forward, and each
year we all participate in his fundraiser for the children who are in the oncology
department for long periods of times, just like his sister and I were.
Not only was this a life-changing event for me, but it was also a life-changing
event for my whole family. Going through two years of chemotherapy with cancer helped
me find the career that I want to pursue today: Sociology Criminology. I originally
wanted to be a nurse in the emergency room because I had always been so interested in
action and helping patients. However, I soon realized that wasnt the right job for me, but
there were other ways that I could help people in need. I decided to major in Sociology
specializing in criminology so I could start off helping young adults who are struggling
from alcohol and drug addiction. This tragic life-changing event has taught me to never

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take life or anyone that you admire for granted because you never know when could be
the last time seeing them. Live life to the fullest and in the present.