Dear Doctors & Nurses,
Freshman year of high school can be the most terrifying time in a young person’s life, trying to acclimate to a new school, new teachers, new people, and sometimes, new bullies. However, none of those things scared me. The only thing I was afraid of was losing my dad.
I was 14 years old in November 2009 when my world got rocked and I found out my dad had cancer. I was scared, angry, and confused all at the same time. Esophagus cancer? Really? How could such a small insignificant body part try to take my dad away from me?
It tried really hard, but it didn’t, because of you. Esophageal cancer has a 18% survival rate over five years. It has been over six years and my dad is still cancer-free.
I never really go to meet you guys because my parents didn’t ever want my brother and me to see him that condition But, I want you to know your hard work didn’t go unnoticed.
Thank you for performing surgery on him for more hours than I care to think about.
Thank you for taking care of him and my mom, when it was so obvious that they didn’t want to be there.
Thank you for spending hours on my dad’s case, carefully deciding what the best form of action will be.
Thank you for checking up on him every year, making sure his insides look as good as his outsides.
Thank you for studying as hard as you did in school so you can become as good of a doctor as you are.
Thank you for saving my dad’s life.
Because of you, my dad got watch me play high school sports. He got to go on vacation with my family and friends every summer. He got to coach my brother and me. He got to watch Sons of Anarchy (which I assure you he is very grateful for). He got to teach my brother and me how to drive. He got to watch me graduate high school. He got to move me into my first dorm room and my first apartment.
Because of you, he’s going to get to watch my brother graduate from high school, and bother of us graduate from college. He’ll get to move my brother into his first dorm room and apartment. He’ll get to walk me down the aisle at my wedding.
Because of you, I’ve had all these amazing memories with my dad and I still have the opportunity to make so many more. So thank you, for helping my dad, and thank you for helping all the other people you’ve helped.
Forever grateful,
Kate
