It was exactly 15 years ago when I first entered the building on the fabled east side of NYC.
Despite having grown up in midtown Manhattan and spending most of my life either in town or on the outskirts, this was a first.
However, sadly, it was not a happy occasion.
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Despite being immensely grateful for access to the healthcare provided by the famed staff and facilities of Memorial Sloan Kettering, it was only my husband’s dismal diagnosis that allowed our entry,
Decades earlier, when my Dad had been a victim of the same disease, Memorial Sloan Kettering was not a medical option for his family.
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However, on that sunny Autumn morning, 48 years later, his son in law would be blessed with every option available in order to conquer the devastating illness.
Although my beloved Anam Cara fought valiantly until the battle ended , it was won, but not by him.
That happened four long years later.
And of course, that was quite a long time ago.
However, the memory of the loving and expert care from all on staff both in NYC and it’s sister facility in Hauppauge, during those long 48 months, resurrected this morning as I poured my first cup of coffee.
Listening in awe to the news, any need for caffeine was immediately forgotten and I felt a resurrection of hope, an emotion that had recently begun to fade
Since the emergence of Covid and vitriolic political battles have totally dominated our daily diet of news, I could not remember when I last experienced such utter joy.
The news from Sloan Kettering was unexpected and astounding and yes, brought tears of gratitude to my eyes.
I listened in awe as the news anchor read the following report:
“It was a small trial, just 18 rectal cancer patients, every one of whom took the same drug.
But the results were astonishing. The cancer vanished in every single patient, undetectable by physical exam, endoscopy, PET scans or M.R.I. scans.
Dr. Luis A. Diaz Jr. of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, an author of a paper published Sunday in the New England Journal of Medicine describing the results, which were sponsored by the drug company GlaxoSmithKline, said he knew of no other study in which a treatment completely obliterated a cancer in every patient.”
And as I sent a prayer of thanksgiving for unexpected miracles and those who help make them happen, I felt renewed faith in tomorrow.
