How Do You Spell Relief?

After months of appointment postponements and weeks of worry from some persistent mouth sores, I'm happy to report that Dr. O'Sullivan has given me a clean bill of health. Walking into Princess Margaret Hospital this morning, it was impossible not to have a sensory flashback to the autumn of my treatment. The crisp, windy air was cool against my skin like a fall morning. The lobby of PMH greeted me with its familiar yet subdued sounds and smells. I had to remind my legs to carry me up the stairs to the Head & Neck clinic, rather than down to radiation oncology. I couldn't shake the memory of feeling as if the world was shrinking away from me like the closing of an iris.

  

Twenty minutes later, when the good doctor gave me the all clear, I realized how much I had feared the return of that constricting iris. Amazing how a few words from a man in white can spring that sucker back open again. So here's to the world being wide open with possibilities again.

What shall I do first?