When I had a recurrence in 2018, I was running out of options for treatments. I had to find more cutting-edge research in the medical world under a time crunch. I was committed to doing whatever it took to help find my cure, and fortunately, I did – on the other side of the world. My savior (read: ideal doctor) was based in Indianapolis, while I lived in Beijing.
I made the hard decision to abandon my current treatments and fly 10,000 miles to Indiana to restart from scratch. That meant giving up 2 years of hard work, admitting epic failures, and facing more unknowns. But even the smallest chance of my survival made it worth risking everything.
When I woke up from anesthesia after my surgery, a young resident doctor came into the room to check on me. I asked her how I looked. She took a look at me and said one word: ”badass.” I liked this new positioning; I heard the confidence of a second chance.
It has been three years since my reboot in Indiana. I am NED and have recently made a few more major life decisions. I’ve returned to graduate school to focus on research studies in social good. I’ve trained to become a distance runner and finished the Seattle Marathon. Rather than hiding my diagnosis, I’ve become a visible cancer survivor and an advocate of this community.
I am no stranger to rejection, including from my own body. I know better than anyone how to fight and get knocked down and get back up and fight again.
I made the hard decision to abandon my current treatments and fly 10,000 miles to Indiana to restart from scratch. That meant giving up 2 years of hard work, admitting epic failures, and facing more unknowns. But even the smallest chance of my survival made it worth risking everything.
When I woke up from anesthesia after my surgery, a young resident doctor came into the room to check on me. I asked her how I looked. She took a look at me and said one word: ”badass.” I liked this new positioning; I heard the confidence of a second chance.
It has been three years since my reboot in Indiana. I am NED and have recently made a few more major life decisions. I’ve returned to graduate school to focus on research studies in social good. I’ve trained to become a distance runner and finished the Seattle Marathon. Rather than hiding my diagnosis, I’ve become a visible cancer survivor and an advocate of this community.
I am no stranger to rejection, including from my own body. I know better than anyone how to fight and get knocked down and get back up and fight again.