Dylan's Brain Cancer JOurney

  Chapter 12: different perspectives               During college I took it upon myself to teach myself Japanese. On a study-away trip in England, I took a spring vacation in Japan and was enamored by the people and cultural differences. It was such a different way of living life than I had a grown up with. I wanted to learn the language so that I could go back and talk to people in Japan in native tongue and get a better understanding of what it would have been like to grow up and spend formative years there. It was another way of exploring the rich, complex web of narratives that people create across the world. To this end, after college I decided that I would go and work in Japan. I called a number I had taken a picture of in the elevator of a hostel in Tokyo that stated they were searching for cleaning staff. They asked me to send a resume and letter of intent. I told them my goal was to get better at speaking J...

  Chapter 8: Who makes the decision to die?               Spencer comes with me to my neurooncology appointment. I’m glad he can drive. I still feel fairly tired. That morning the salt pills come and so I start my morning with an enormous cup of coffee and water and two salt pills. I hope that it’s enough. We get to the office. My parents are aware of the appointment and are going to phone in. I sit in the waiting room. We start off by getting my labs drawn. I am a little nervous given all the fluids I drank earlier, but I firmly believe that it will be OK.               After labs we’re brought in the clinic room. We get my parents on the phone. Dr. Mendez briefly explains to them what happened. Then we talk about plan. I will get an infusion of pembrolizumab later that day, along with avastin to prevent edema associated with any inflammatory reacti...

  Unstable : Things were quiet initially following surgery and discharge. I felt like the surgery had given me a new lease on life. Like now I was safe for some time and could have some fun without worrying. My brother was still here, along with friends from college, Spencer, Kyle, and Micah. They would keep an eye on me. I was still driving us around. I was happy that despite everything the neuro deficits did not take away core components of my independence. We end up at an outdoor mall. I get some coffee. It wakes me up, feling a bit back to normal. Now what? I suggest we go to the Gilgal, a free sculpture park where there exists a giant sphinx with Joseph Smith’s face on it. I had been many times before. It was trully comical, and what is usually better are the pious persons surrounding the statue, as though it were something to be renowned. We had a chuckle. It was very hot outside. I was wearing a sweater and sweats for comfort. After a little while I started to feel a littl...