Graf 6

I hope I don't lose track of my graf numbers. It's like my password at work. Each month I have to change it, so I just change the number at the end. And I hope I don't lose track of that number. Anyway, I need to write this graf on what makes me unique. Let's see:

Birthmark on my neck that looks like dirt
Ratty slippers
Big, knobby hands
Unruly, curly hair

Oops, wrong graf! Anyway, there is one thing that makes me somewhat unique, or at least a unique member of an exclusive club. I have three tattoos. These tattoos are a symbol of a rather stressful time in my life, but also a triumphant time. Two of the tattoos are under either side of my ribs and are not noticeable to the general public. But the third is located just below the collarbone and many people remark on it. "Hope, you have a piece of lint on you" someone will say as they attempt to brush it away. "Hope, you have an ink mark on your chest." But no amount of brushing or scrubbing will remove it. No, I explain, it is a tattoo. People look puzzled, why would anyone go through the trouble of having a tattoo that size? I explain that 12 years ago, I was diagnosed with Hodgkins disease, a form of cancer. Initially, I went to the emergency room with chest pains, and was X-rayed and examined by various hospital staff. I thought I might be having a heart attack, but such was not the case. The doctor gave me a shot of cortisone and I immediately felt better. He then told me that if I had anymore problems, to follow up with my doctor. I didn't have anymore problems and didn't follow up. Nor did the doctor follow up with me. A year later, I developed a cough and saw a physician's assistant, new to the practice. For several months, he tried to determine the cause of my cough. He looked at the X-rays from that night and asked,"So what did they say about the mass in your chest". I looked in horror at him and asked, "What mass?" And so began my journey of CAT scans, more X-rays and surgeries. After my biopsy, I was told that I had Hodgkins disease. Unfortunately, I recognized the term. I had read an article on Brandon Tartikoff; he was president of NBC News. To make a long story short, he died of Hodgkins. So if someone with his millions died, what hope did I have? But I went through chemo treatments and the intrinsic pain, discomfort, fear, etc. After chemo, I had radiation treatments and hence the tattoos. Their purpose was to mark where the radiation could be aimed to cause the least amount of damage to my internal organs. And so, when you see someone with what appears to be a piece of lint or a ink mark on their chest, it may be the mark of an exclusive club of survivors, ones that overcame a formidable foe. Unfortunately, some will succumb to this awful disease; yesterday, I got an email from my friend who has been fighting colon cancer and she told me it would be the last email she would would send because she would not live out the year. What makes me different from her, I do not know. I only know that for 12 years, I have survived and for that I am truly grateful.