Why are You Here?

Yesterday I offered the opening comments for the Dallas Lymphomathon. Here's an excerpt:

Why are you here? Why did you choose to wake up early on a Saturday morning and come to Fair Park?

Let me tell you why I chose to be here: Because I am here. Because I am alive and able to be here. And because it didn’t have to be this way.

20 years ago I was diagnosed with lymphoma. After chemo, after radiation and after interferon, my cancer kept coming back. By 1993, my treatment options started to run out... So I entered a clinical trial at Stanford where I received a new therapy now known as Rituxan.... The treatment turned out to be first drug in decades that led to improvement in the survival curves of patients like me.

But Rituxan did not cure my cancer. I’ve continued to go in and out of treatment....

I don’t spend much time worrying about tomorrow. Partly because I’m too busy living my life. Mostly because each of you being here today gives me hope that further research will lead to safer, more effective, less toxic treatments....

I want to thank each of you for helping raise money that is desperately needed, since the government’s budget dedicated to cancer research is woefully small.

The ancient philosopher Cicero said, While there is life, there is hope.
I also believe that where there is hope, there is life.

This walk is about hope. Hope for patients today and hope for tomorrow’s patients.... Have a great time everyone. Thank you!!!

Comments

[Jonnie Hickman]

Thank you Dr Wendy. I have been trying to support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies Light the night walks. My cousin decided to run in the TEAM IN TRAINING event in Indiana this year with me as her honored hero. After the first meeting with her and the LLS, I decided that I didn't want to be anyone's hero. I want a cure. I want to see my grand-daughter who is 6 months old now....walk down the isle to her husband.

I don't want to be anyones hero...I want to be me. I applaud your efforts.

In my poem BETWEEN one of the stanza's says

"THE DEMANDS OF UNDERSTANDING
APPRECIATION OF LIFE
STUCK BETWEEN
WHAT WAS - WHAT IS - AND WHAT WILL BE"

I also live for this moment. I plan for tomorrow but don't count on it. I look at yesterday only as a teaching experience.

Jonnie Hickman

[WeightLossDiet]

Thanks for sharing this very inspirational posts.

[Anonymous]

Thank you. Your thoughts on healthy survivorship have been a great help to me since 2006 (I read your book) when I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer.

[Wendy S. Harpham, MD]

Dear Anonymous,
Thank you for letting me know. With hope, Wendy