Wednesday, July 18, 2012

May The Odds Be Ever In My Favor!

Last week, I got my first tattoo.

I've thought about the hypothetical tattoo for a long time -- what I would get, where it would be -- but I never imagined I would get this tattoo.

Last week, I got a dot on my chest. That's it. A tiny little dot.

If you ever watched Friends, then you might recall the episode where Phoebe decides to get a tattoo and then chickens out after the needle touches her, leaving her with one tiny dot. She went on to describe the tattoo as "the earth as seen from a great great distance."

So like Phoebe, I got a tattoo of the earth as seen from a great great distance. Unlike Phoebe, I didn't end up with a freckle size tattoo because I chickened out at the sight of the needle.

My tattoo, my freckle size dot, was not done by a tattoo artist, but by my radiologist.

My tattoo is a marker for my radiation therapy, which I start today.

After much soul searching, research, and second opinions, I finally settled on the decision. A difficult decision for a girl that always tries to come up with the right answer and is in a situation where there is no "right" answer.

This time around, I didn't get the 85% survival talk. This time, I wasn't told I had the "easy" cancer. This time, I was simply told to make a decision and hope for the best.

So that's what I'm doing. In a shitty situation, where the odds are no longer in my favor, I am hoping for the best with my decision.

For the next 4 weeks, I will spend every morning getting radiation. Personally, I'd rather get my morning jolt from a cup of coffee than a set of laser beams, but honestly, I believe it's better than the alternatives.

Come hell or high water, I'm determined to get rid of Little Hodgy.

And maybe then, I can appreciate my worldly tattoo.

3 comments:

  1. We love and miss you, Dana. We're with you from many, many states away. I can't wait for you to beat this and then I'll go with you for our real tattoos. I look forward to that day. Much love! J & M.

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  2. Dana our thoughts and prayers are with you and will continue to be with you and your family through the next weeks. You will beat this!! --Jill Chaz and Nick

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  3. Dana, sending you love from Arizona. I love your humor and perspective in your writing despite the issues you are dealing with. Keep that fighting spirit along with your humor and know that you've done some amazing healing before and can do it again. We will be thinking of you "Danameister". Love ya, Gretchen

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