Tomorrow is match day for ophthalmology. I'd like to share my match day experience from 5 years ago. Here we go...
3 days before match, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. As an MS4, I knew enough to recognize that my testicle was not supposed to grow another testicle, so I went in to the doctor
Ultrasound-->Diagnosis. I had trouble believing it at first. I vividly remember my 11 mo old daughter toddling around the exam room, carefree, while a big vascular tumor lit up the ultrasound screen
The radiologist gave me the news. I have had many doctors over the last 5 years. Oncologists, internists, endocrinologists, urologists. To this day, that radiologist was the most compassionate doctor I've ever had.
Fast forward to match day. I'm halfway thru a big bottle of oral contrast for my staging CT when I get a call from my residency program director. I matched.
I don't remember what was said, but I do remember hanging up & thinking I must have sounded like the unhappiest person to ever match into ophtho. I pictured him turning to the dept chair and saying, "geez you'd think I'd just told him he had cancer or something."
Shortly after my diagnosis, I started doing stand up comedy again. This may come as a surprise, but I process stress through humor. Eventually I joined Gomerblog and twitter, all with the unfailing support of my wife, my rock.
Now here I am, 4 years of training, multiple surgeries, god knows how many CTs, roughly 1 million prior authorizations, and one recurrence later, I made it. I'm an ophthalmologist, and I'm cancer free.
Cancer as a young adult is a desperately lonely experience. You spend hours in waiting rooms with people 3x your age thinking what am I doing here? How did this happen?
I then found @FirstDescents, a non-profit that brings young ppl with cancer together to meet & bond over a shared outdoor experience. I participated in one of these trips last summer and having seen the good this organization does, I want to do what I can to raise money for FD.
Many of us in #medtwitter and beyond will treat, counsel, and console young adults affected by cancer. Even if all this thread does is let you know that this organization exists for a demographic of patients who need this kind of support, it's worth it.
Here's my donation page with my story and more info about @FirstDescents. Donate, like, retweet, tell your friends and family, tell a patient. Anything helps. support.firstdescents.org/fundraiser/123…
As part of this fundraising campaign, I am offering to come perform medicine-themed stand up comedy at your office party, conference, birthday, Tuesday billing dept lunch meeting, whatever. Its like my twitter feed, but in speech form. If you are interested, DM me and we'll talk.
Thanks for reading and good luck to all the ophthalmology applicants out there. You've worked hard, enjoy it! And if you are a young person battling or recovering from cancer, don't do it alone. Talk to me. Talk to somebody.
