What a Difference a Year Makes

June 4th last year was my last day of work before going out for 7 months. I had just gotten my official diagnosis of AML from the hematology-oncology specialist at UNC. On June 4th, I gathered together a circle of my coworkers and announced that I would be leaving to have cancer treatment. At that point, I thought that I would be admitted to UNC for chemo and then a bone marrow transplant. I also thought that I'd be out of work only 3 mos, expecting to return by September. Well there were lots of zigs and zags after that, but, now, a year later, I am back at the Charles Drew Center taking care of others. I am healthy; my cancer is in remission and I didn't have to have a bone marrow transplant with its attendant problems and complications. I cannot do justice to the feelings I've had in the last few days, as I've relived the events of my diagnosis last year-the fear I had then, of the unknown ahead, and the extreme gratitude I feel now for my extra year, jammed pack with fun and the love of friends and family. Every day that I can be of help and significance is a good day.
Every day that I get to run or walk outside, either alone or with others, is a good day.

While we were in Kansas last week, I saw a cool magazine article in the Atlantic Monthly. There is an ongoing study of happiness and life events in a cohort of Harvard men. The researchers have been interviewing the men since college, and they are getting to be elders at this point (both the researchers and the study participants). They have found that the one best predictor of happiness is good relationships-not money or prestige or job success. Just plain old relationships. It's amazing that all the trappings and things and money can't make one happy; yet so many people work so hard for those things. When you wake up one day and hear that you have cancer, you realize that you might not live to a ripe old age. Money and things don't seem very important but relationships do. I think they have it right, those researchers.

Today I feel fortunate and happy to have so many people who made a difference for me in the last year. If you're reading this, thank you.