me well on the experimental fusion surgery. The surgery was so new that I remember looking up and seeing two floors of doctors that flew in to see the experimental surgery. The surgery involved removing the cancerous bone from my knee and replacing it with one of the two bones in my lower leg and fusing it together with bone spurs from my hip. Also, they placed a rod in my leg alongside the new fused bone. The risks were that the rod would deteriorate over time, or I would get an infection in my leg which would spread over my body. Unfortunately, both happened causing several more leg surgeries in my lifetime.
My surgery was followed up by two years of high dose chemotherapy. I was told I would receive the toughest dose because I was young and they felt my body could handle it. My body did not react well and I spent a good amount of time in the hospital. Through it all I tried to keep my spirits up. There was a time when my leg infection happened at my lowest point in chemotherapy causing me to be very sick.
Early one morning I remember laying in my hospital room and this random guy walks in and says he has to clean the drapes. I thought this was odd, but I had bigger problems, so I said go ahead! Halfway through cleaning he tried to spark up a conversation. He asked me if I believed in God. I responded yes and he went on to tell me why he asked. He stated he wasn’t supposed to work that day but he had a feeling of needing to come in, so he came to work. He then said he wasn’t even supposed to be on my floor or cleaning my drapes, but God asked him to come in and tell me that God has a plan for me. I just nodded and ate my tasteless apple sauce from one of my disgusting hospital meals. He said he just wanted to tell me that and then grabbed his ladder and began to leave. On his way out he stopped and looked at me and said..”but you gotta fight man, you gotta fight!” I chalked it up as an over-zealous worker and went on with my day. The next evening, I became ill and I overheard the doctor telling my mom they did not think I would make it through the night. My mom never mentioned it, but I could see it in her eyes as she tried to hold back her tears. Later that evening I remember being all alone in my room thinking this is this the night I die.