Renee Gentzel

When I was born, I developed craniosynostosis that required a neurosurgeon to remove a portion of bone from my infant skull. The condition wouldn’t have killed me, but it would likely have caused mental impairment due to abnormal formation of the head. Life, as I know it today, would have been vastly different.

Three weeks after I gave birth to my daughter via emergency C-section, I started having pains in my back and could only take shallow breathes. I didn’t know how serious it was until my mother-in-law, a former nurse, told my husband to drive me to the hospital immediately. I had a pulmonary embolism – it was more painful than childbirth and could have taken my life. After three days in the hospital, I was able to return home.

So, yeah, now cancer. And by the looks of my latest PET scan, performed on July 6th, you can call me a cat, because I must have cashed in my third life (at a minimum – I may have spent a life recovering from the wicked stomach bug I got on my last day in Nepal…). There’s no evidence of disease. None. Nada. Not even anything suspicious. I’m at the point where I’m asking the doctors if I should take more tests, have an exploratory surgery, if I should have maintenance treatment. They look at me and say, “No, we honestly can’t recommend it because there would be no benefit. We recommend just watching closely.”

I’m happy and nervous and I know how Schrodinger’s cat feels.

I’m also selfishly bummed that I can’t throw huge celebration parties and invite everyone to cheer life with me because of Covid-19. (FYI: Parties are only postponed – just until after vaccines are available to all!)

I’ve finished my 12 rounds of FOLFOX and my scans are clear. I will likely be updating this blog every three months moving forward, to coincide with my future scans.

Hoping the pandemic doesn’t take away another one of my ‘cat lives’, and that it doesn’t take away any of my friends and family, or really, anyone’s life. Please wear masks and wash hands, and get the vaccine when it becomes available.