this thing called life....

Today I spent almost 2 hours on the phone with a woman who had bilateral retinoblastoma and had both eyes enucleated (removed) by the time she was 4. And yet she held a job as a clinical social worker, was doing gardening outside when I called her, and pretty much runs her household. Amazing. She was very talkative, and had the best attitude ever. I got off the phone thinking to myself, If I had lost both eyes at such a young age, would I be as happy as she is? Would I find the strength to overcome it and lead a full life, or would I let bitterness and resentment build up and color the rest of my life that way? I'm not sure. Her tenacity amazed me. And I know that, especially at such a young age, sometimes people just forge through, because they don't have any other choice (like Lucy Grealy, in her AMAZING autobiography Autobiography of a Face), but I also know that people get eaten up by their anger and self-pity. And then, at 7pm, I had an interview with a woman who had unilateral retinoblastoma and had an eye removed at the age of 2. She was also really amazing - very funny, and really enthusiastic about the study. I've found that because it's not a "popular" cancer to talk about, those who've survived it are so eager to share their stories and thoughts and experiences - in fact, Wendy, a doctor I worked for and one of my role models, once said to me, "Most people, I think, would love to tell their stories, if they knew someone wanted to listen." So, so, so true. So true. 

High Point: getting the DVD of the Audrey Hepburn movie "Funny Face" for only $9!, finding the UES outpost of Ciao Bella, a place with amazing gelato

Low Point: running out of Diet Coke at  home

"I can be changed by what happens to me. I refuse to be reduced by it." - Maya Angelou