Most days, I don’t feel particularly courageous - but I do know I’m brave, because my nephew William told me so.
The day I was discharged after my first surgery, I stopped by to visit my sister’s family. After a very loud, “Ewww, Emmy, look at your HEAD!” William asked if I had been brave at the hospital.
I had chosen to undergo brain surgery even after being told it might not make a difference either way, so I figured I was either brave or maybe stupid, but I responded to his question with a question: “What do you think is brave?”
I’ll never forget his response because it made my heart melt a little as he talked about his younger brother. “James went to the doctor and he got a needle and didn’t even cry. He is SO brave!”
That was when I realized I must be brave too, after all, I had eight needles during my hospital stay and didn’t cry once. That made me, by William’s calculation, eight times braver than a two-year-old.
Since that first surgery, I’ve had another one. I’ve completed many weeks of chemotherapy, three rounds of radiation, and several intravenous infusions, still without crying.
But more importantly, instead of avoiding the nuances of the horrific disease I’ve been diagnosed with and living through, I’ve chosen to use my skill set and lived experience to advocate for other patients and to contribute to research and patient-centred care.
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Emily McIntosh, PhD in Biomechanics, BCC Engagement Ambassador, dedicated patient advocate, remarkable brain cancer survivor and thriver, and the second recipient of the Douglas MacRae Award of Courage.
#12DaysOfCourage #EmilyMcIntosh @mcintose