I haven’t posted any new material on this blog for more than a month because on Dec 20, I underwent the first of five surgeries at Baltimore’s Shock Trauma that have not only changed my life but saved it as well.
My situation was never immediately life-threatening, but the hundreds of medical professionals who participated in my care—by doing everything from performing actual procedures to engaging in conversations about healthy living—are an indelible part of my life trajectory and will be a part of my memory forever.
The final bill came to a little more than $100,000, but the debt I owe the many people in Baltimore’s medical community—from Kate, the medical student who introduced herself to me before the second surgery and promised to take very good care of me, to Kate, the tech for my room on my last day at Shock Trauma, who encouraged me not only to get out of my bed but to continue caring for myself so I would never again be a patient at Shock Trauma—can’t possibly be repaid.
So, as it’s the hope of most teachers to see their students succeed in life, I imagine it’s the hope of doctors, nurses, and other practitioners to see their patients get well. The closest I can come to repaying the debt I owe is probably best achieved, therefore, by showing that the dreams I had for my own life can be accomplished with a new, healthy lifestyle. One nurse said to me, “We all have one chronic disease or another to deal with in our lives; this just happens to be yours.” I take that as my cue to deal with my medical conditions and yet move forward with a life that makes all these good people did for me worthwhile.
The blog (and the rest of the site) will resume on a much reduced schedule for the remainder of this school year (doctors say it will take several months for me to be at 100 percent), but it will continue. Maryland and Illinois both have new governors, and that’s a driving force for me to continue researching issues that are important to our schools, our students, and our communities at large. And while the posts may look similar to those in the past, there’s a new motivation and dedication underneath it all.
