Wow. I had to look twice at the date of my last post. April?!? I have been telling myself for weeks that I need to write an update, but apparently life has taken over and that has not happened. So, before I get into recent details I thought I would recap the last couple months:
May:
- I turned in my completed Honors Thesis, which was the final requirement of the Honors Program.
- I received a random email from KETV News out of Omaha during finals week instructing me to call them. Long story short they had caught wind of my story from a buzz sent by University officials across campus and asked if I would be willing to let them do a news story about my crazy semester. I agreed and they asked if I could be ready that evening! I still had a final left and had been nannying all day. So instead on Friday morning at 7:30am, they met me at the Campus Rec Center and started the series of interviews. I'm sure most of you have seen it by now as my Facebook wall exploded once it was aired. But if not, here is the link to the clip. (Note: I debated awhile about if I should share it or not. I am still embarrassed every time I watch it!)
- I was handed my diploma! Afterwards I had a party at a hotel in town. It worked perfectly because my cousin got married that night and all of my family had rooms reserved. Thank you again to everyone who came by! It was great to see each of you.
- My "little" brother graduated from high school! I could not be more proud of the person he has grown to be and am even more excited for what lies ahead as he begins his college baseball career this Fall.
- I started my job working for two ophthalmologists in town. It is my 3rd summer there and I absolutely love it!
- My cousin in Washington D.C. chose me to be his Confirmation Sponsor. I was beyond honored and had a wonderful trip to the East coast. Time with family never gets old.
- Kyle's Legion baseball team began games during Memorial weekend. I figured I have played/watched more baseball games in my life than any other thing I have done, and I wouldn't have it any other way!
June:
- I started to really crack down on studying for the MCAT. The test is 2 weeks away and words cannot describe how afraid I am!
- Each year one of the highlights of my summer is time at the College World Series. This year was no exception. I got away for a few days and spent lots of time downtown tailgating, attending games, hanging out with family and friends, and enjoying time by the pool at my aunt & uncle's house. I was cheering for Arkansas as I am a Dave Van Horn fan, but after they lost my loyalty was for the Wildcats of Arizona! Sorry South Carolina, no 3-peat.
- And of course, countless Legion baseball games and tournaments.
July:
- Happy July! The 4th is my favorite holiday. There's just something about fireworks, friends, family, grilling out, drinks, and relaxing in the summer heat.
So there you have it. A very brief recap of my life since my last posting. Now for the specifics. A lot of people have been asking me how I have been feeling lately. More than anything I wish I could say that I was as good as new! But that is not the case. My energy levels are still pathetic and I do not have my stamina back. I have been working out 5-6 days a week alternating between cardio, strength training, intervals, and performance workouts, all while watching everything I put into my mouth, but I am still struggling. (And this is all while being on a gluten free diet for over 3 months. No desserts, breads, pastas, etc.) I've been tempted to walk around with a sign around my neck that says, "Please don't judge. I swear I don't sit on the couch and eat junk food all day." But that would draw even more attention than I am already getting from the adorable white "spot" circling my scar from endless amounts of sunscreen and a brown tan surrounding it. One little boy asked me if I had been scratched by a cat because thats what his arm looks like when his cat scratches him. It was the cutest thing and I couldn't help but laugh!
There was a point in June when I decided enough was enough and called my doctor. She agreed that some blood tests would be a good idea. I was ecstatic when she called back and told me she wanted to adjust my dosage! However, it wasn't but 5 seconds later she told me she was going to DECREASE the amount of medicine I was taking. Talk about going from the highest high to the lowest low. After we talked and reviewed my symptoms more in-depth, she agreed that it would probably be best to stay where I was for the time being. Thank goodness. But at the same time, this has raised some suspicion. My lab values are indicating that I should be feeling great and instead my symptoms are the exact opposite. It's basically a déjà vu of Fall 2011. That's when we later found out it was the cancer causing the imbalance. So, for now I just wait. My big 6 month appointment is at the very end of this month, and at that time we will find out if there is more going on than we are unaware of at the moment. But none of this scares me in the least bit. I'm just so frustrated and had thought I would be feeling "normal" by now.
There are so many reasons I love my job, but one of the main ones is that each day I am reminded of how unbelievably lucky I am. All of the patients come in with different stories of struggle, heartache, and hardships that continually put what I am going through into perspective. Now don't get me wrong, I would have never chosen to be diagnosed with cancer, but as I have said before, there are hundreds of things that I am not facing that make me grateful. So on that note, here is my mini lecture for the day: Please, please, please take care of yourself. How complicated our bodies are is mind-blowing and it's so important to take preventative measures before it's too late. Go for daily walks, start an exercise plan, add more fruits and veggies to your diet, stop smoking, and decrease the stressors in your life. Trust me, you will thank yourself in 30 years when you don't have a current medications list that is 2 pages long and you are healthy enough to spend time with your grandkids.
Many of you have been asking me when the big moving day is. Well, that is something that has changed in the last couple weeks or so. Just a few days ago I turned down job offers in both California and Arizona. Yes, you read that correctly. I will NOT be moving come August. This is something that has been heavily on my mind lately and the decision was not an easy one to make. It all started when my grandma fell again in the middle of the night last weekend. This is unfortunately becoming a common occurrence, and each time it happens the tug it makes on my heart becomes a little more painful. Doctors are thinking she has multi infarct dementia. It was then I started to re-evaluate my options. To make a long story short, I would absolutely love to adventure out and explore an entirely new area of the country for a year. But at the end of the day, time with my grandmother (and other family members) means more to me than waking up in wine country each day. I have finally accepted that her days are numbered and it kills me. There are a lot glamorous "pros" to moving away, but I can also say with complete certainty that I will never regret spending this precious time making memories with my grandma. Moving is something that can wait. This can't. Plus, I am happy here. I have my entire support team close by, a job I love and can't wait to continue, and the amount of money I will be saving is unreal. By staying here I will actually be able to go do more things and have greater flexibility than if I would move. Additionally, the fact that I spent only 2 weekends in Lincoln the entire semester means that I didn't really get to spend time with all of my best friends here. Now I can make up for all that lost time!
Of course, it would be un-Keri-like to just stop there. The stipulation I made if I stayed was that I will be traveling to Kenya, Africa after the first of the year (probably around February, once the medical school situation is all figured out) to spend a minimum of 2 months living with a host family and serving as a medical intern in the local hospitals and clinics. If only you knew how excited I already am to return to Africa! It has been my dream to go back since the day I landed on US ground a little over a year ago after my first trip to Ghana. I spoke with a pre-nursing student who did what I am going to do, and she told me that after a week in the maternity ward she was delivering babies! In the rural areas of Kenya the doctor/patient ratio is about 1/85,000. Clearly they are in desperate need of care and compassion and it is my plan to do just that. The stories she shared with me are so incredible. And after looking through my pictures and watching the video of my trip last summer, I know in my heart this is exactly what I want to do.
Whew. I think that is all. Well, for now at least. I know I could go on and on about various things I mentioned but this post is already way too long. I will say that even though I had everything planned and ready to move, it's funny how God somehow always finds a way to guide me in His direction, whether or not it is what I had in mind. It's the perfect reminder that He has plans for me far greater than what I could ever dream of, as long as I'm willing to follow!
I hope you all have a wonderful 4th of July! Blow stuff up, buy a box of snaps just to feel like a little kid again, marvel over at least one fireworks show, celebrate with friends and family, and God Bless America!
xoxo
