Hi! My name is Emily and I am a 21-year-old senior at West Virginia University and am from Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania. In May 2019 I was diagnosed with Stage 2 Unfavorable Rest Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. My diagnosis story is slightly different from the norm. I broke out in a crazy rash that would end up covering my body. Dermatology eventually diagnosed it as Sweets Syndrome, a very rare rash that is caused by cancer. I began chemotherapy treatment on June 18 and am still fighting the battle. I am hopeful it will be over soon.
One of the first steps I had to take before starting chemo was freezing my eggs. This is a very expensive, uncomfortable process -- especially for a 21-year-old who has not thought about having children any time soon. The process involves giving yourself shots every morning and night to mature as many eggs as your body will allow. Once the eggs are ready to be extracted, you have a procedure where they stick a long scary needle through the uterine wall.
Yes, I know, this is not funny, it’s terrifying. But just wait.
My nurse assured me I would be properly medicated so that I wouldn’t feel much of anything. On the day of the procedure, I went into the office bright and early, feeling like I had massive water balloons in my uterus. I was anxious to get started and get this drug the nurse talked so highly about. My IV was in and I was laying on the table with my feet in the stirrups. “We are going to administer the Demerol now.” I think it took a minute and I was already slurring my words. As the doctor did the procedure, my nurse kindly pushed more and more Demerol to make me comfortable. The doctor eventually said, “we got our first egg.”
At that point I was completely out of it and turned to my mom, who was sitting next to me. “What is today’s date?” I asked. My mom was confused and answered back with the date. She couldn’t help but ask why I wanted to know. My response was “because, today I had my first baby. I am a mom now.” Apparently, extraction of your eggs categorizes you as a mom in my doped-up mind.
I am a proud mother of 14 eggs, that are safely stored in a storage facility.
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