September 6, 2000

September 6, 2000|

Hi everyone!

Well, it’s almost been a month since my last “epistle”, so I felt the urge to write a very brief update.

I was able to successfully start my job at Goldman on the 14th. To say the first few weeks went well is an understatement. All of my fears of not being healthy enough and having too much to do never came true. My co-workers and boss were incredibly supportive of my condition and wanted me to start slowly and get used to life on “the street”. So I spent the first few days just getting used to the culture, the firm, and the group. The hours were manageable, and my throat held up spectacularly.

It was an exciting first weeks though. With my co-workers, the firm sponsored a dinner at a karaoke bar (of course, my legend preceded me (via the Penn interns in our group) and I was made to sing first, and of course it was the backstreet boys:) ). The next night I went to see Kiss Me Kate on broadway, and then the next week I went to a Yankees game, a dinner-dance cruise around Manhattan, and then a phenom dinner to celebrate the end of the training programs we put together. It was a tiring, but incredibly fun run.

Healthwise, the throat and eating has gotten much much better. I have been able to eat with minimal pain and virtually no pain. I haven’t gained any weight, but that is fine, as I would rather be healthy and skinny. I’ll gain weight once I start working out anyway. My skin and hair are healing too, but rather slowly. That’s not as big a deal, it just looks like I have bad haircut in the back of my head. If that’s the least I have to put up with from this ordeal, than so be it.

Unfortunately, though, things aren’t all well. It seems that a month ago I contracted a sore back from not sleeping on a proper bed while visiting my brother. Since then it has gotten worse. The back pain is equal if not worse than the pain from radiation. For the past two weeks I wake up at 2am everynight with an incredible back ache that only goes away when I take a few advil, put a heatpad on and let everything kick in 2 hours later. It makes going to work extremely difficult. I know that my body is going to take more time than usual to heal, being as weak as it still is. I just ask for your prayers for this (hopefully) last ordeal. I know the prayers worked for the eating thing, so I know that they will work for this too.

So that’s my status so far, waiting for that day that I look forward to so much- being normal, healthy, and 100% again. Somedays it seems so far away, truthfully. But I also have come to the realization that if I have to live the rest of life in pain, as long as I walkin’ with the Lord, than so be it.

May God bless you for your care and support, and please keep in touch!

art