I just finished an amazing month of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, which has confirmed what I've been thinking of doing for the past few months since I last did this same rotation...I am now definitely planning to be a Pediatric Neuro-Oncologist. I absolutely love this field of medicine! It is challenging, but the patients and their families are absolutely amazing. It really puts things in perspective to see a 17-year-old come to terms with losing her leg to a tumor unresponsive to treatment, talk with a 13-year-old about local wig stores in anticipation of losing her hair within days of starting chemotherapy, and watch parents learn that their perfectly healthy 5-year-old daughter has a rapidly growing tumor in her head. The strength and faith of the families and children themselves are tremendous.

We had a new diagnosis this week, and I was overwhelmed by the speed by which things happened. Since first presentation to the emergency department last Friday for headaches and blurry vision, the diagnosis was made, and the child underwent surgery for port-a-cath placement, G-tube placement, bone marrow biopsy, lumbar puncture, full body CT scans, bone scans, opthalmology exam, and dental exam, and is now ready to start chemotherapy and radiation therapy only seven days later. I can't even imagine what the parents were thinking or feeling as we explained what the next several months have in store for them. It was heartbreaking to see the devastation of her father as he sobbed and sobbed, but it was also inspiring to watch my consultant calmly tell him with a smile on her face that we have a cure for his daughter's disease and that she is going to live a long, long, happy life!

All of our patients had a wonderful attitude about being in the hospital on Thanksgiving Day. One mother brought in her crock pot to make a real turkey dinner in her son's hospital room, and you could smell the aroma all through the hallways! With the new visitation restrictions in light of the H1N1 epidemic, it has been especially difficult for patients who are limited to having only two visitors during their entire hospitalization, which can commonly last for several weeks. Exploiting a weak moment with one of our Infectious Disease specialists, my Heme-Onc consultant and I bullied him into making a couple of exceptions to the hospital policy for some of our sicker patients on Thanksgiving Day. One 13-year-old boy who has been in the hospital for four weeks now with only his mother for company had tears stream down his face when we shared the news with him that he could have his siblings and a couple of friends visit him in the hospital.

With not much action in the hospital on Thanksgiving, I took advantage of the downtime by playing Christmas music on the piano in the lobby. The patients, families, and nursing staff all seemed to enjoy the informal concert, and one of my patients still recovering from resection of a large tumor in her leg even came up from another floor on crutches to listen.

It is a privilege to care for such incredible people. They remind me of the blessing that each day is, and of how fortunate I am to have my health and a wonderful family of my own.