My frustration was high. I had been going to the doctor insisting I had cancer for the last six months. How did this get missed! Always trust your gut instincts.

I was lying on the operating table and things were coming into focus. I can smell the disinfectant used to clean my body. I’m lying on my stomach and the room is cold. I hear voices.

The surgeon is telling the tech “you can see the blue nuclei which makes me believe this is malignant.”. Ouch, that hurt my brain. So I asked to see the tumor. Clearly I startled them. They were surprised I was awake. The medication wore off and I came to at the end of my procedure.

Steve, the surgical tech was my neighbor. It was nice to have someone I knew in the operating room with me. It was something that has been a lasting memory for me.