Journal on summer vacation
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How many times at the beginning of the school year did the teacher ask you to write a short essay (so he or she could see how you write)? This summer had earthquakes, hurricanes, drug shortages, contentious debates about health care costs, and a surreal personal medical issue that put priorities in perspective. The last, in particular, has made me “practice what I have preached” for over 3 decades and recall what I have learned from my patients and their families. I wrote a column about the time I became chief editor of the journal entitled “Carpe Diem”1). I was privileged to spend some time with kids on their own turf specifically, the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. They showed me how to live with disease and the unknown. I was reminded of that by the mother of a patient I treated about a decade ago. He was 3 months from starting preschool when diagnosed with ALL and now is in junior high school. She reminded me that I told her the goal was to stress “normalcy,” and that we expected to cure her son. In the short run he would start day school on time and long term; I expected to at least attend his high school graduation. When he (now 13) was told of my diagnosis he asked his mother “why didn't doctor Kamen get a pass from this disease because of all children and families he has helped?”. I recognize that I am not the first oncologist to deal with a personal oncological diagnosis, but we are certainly and fortunately a minority. So, for the vast majority of the readers, I would like to share my summer vacation.
Instead of catching up on reading and writing, attempting to lower my handicap on the golf course and spending time with family, at the end of May I had a synovial cell sarcoma removed from my lung and by Labor Day (first Monday in September) had multiple cycles of chemotherapy. I went to the operating room with the tentative diagnosis of a mediastinal mass, likely a thymoma, the plan was to biopsy and if a lymphoma, stop and if the expected diagnosis, to have a surgical resection. My wife learned before I did that I had a tumor in my lung, but it was not lung cancer and that the surgeon removed it. It was however, not benign. In informal and formal discussions with the gurus in the field, it was suggested that adjuvant therapy in the form of adriamycin and ifosfamide be given. As the plans evolved, it became clear that it was much harder being a patient than an oncologist and that there was little energy to be spent/wasted on asking the question “why me?” From my view (and that of our Rabbi), there is no answer. The questions to ask seemed to be: what do I (we) do about it? And what if any good can come of this? I suggested to my family that this would make me a better doctor, more sympathetic! My wife, figuratively speaking, took a swing at me. She reminded me I have basically spent 24/7 attending to my patients, so I should not visit that question. I then also recalled another column I wrote,2which was both a book review and in a manner of speaking a tribute to Dr Joseph Simone, the author of the book, a friend and teacher. There are pearls in there about life and being a physician.
When faced with the personal diagnosis of cancer, we need to learn from the people we care for, treat families/people not disease and continue to move forward. I have found myself a little short with mundane issues and I have felt sadness and frustration and then I remember some Sunday school discussions and a line that has been attributed to Chinese, Indian, Jewish, Irish, or Persian lore; “I cried because I had no shoes, until I met a man who had no feet.”
As a physician-scientist, husband, son, father, eldest brother, and more, there is always too much to do and now the time frame may or may not be compressed, so the only thing to do is to Carpe Diem!
I thank you all for writing for the journal and to my associate editors, editorial board members, publishers, and assistants and especially my patients and family for reminding me what is important and how to conduct business and privilege of living. And now back to work.
Hope this will helps you! !!
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Summer Vacations are the best time to relax and enjoy with everyone. Every year children and students wait for their summer vacations to start so that they can get rid of their School and their studies for a short while. Schools and Colleges remain close because of the high temperature during this season. Summer vacations get started just after the student’s annual exam gets over. In India exams mostly starts inMonth of April and ends in the month of June. Summer Vacation becomes the fun time for students which begin with the ringing of the last bell in the school. Summer vacation is the happiest time for all the students as they get a pretty long break from school and their studies. This is the time when students get entertained by going to different places of their interest. Teachers also give certain assignments to the students for the vacation so that they are not totally away from learning. With fun, there should also be Studies. These assignments had to be submitted when the school reopens which consists of Fun Games.
Some people go to their hometown, some meet their old and childhood friends, or some take admission to get training in their interested areas of curiosity and learning. This helps them to enhance their skills, enhance their general knowledge, get time for project work of the school, etc.Skating is also an interesting thing to learn. This helps children to learn how to make body balance. Besides Skating swimming, running, Karate, etc. are all the other things to learn which will help the student in the future.
Summer vacation is not a just holiday for kids but it is a time where students love enjoying different kinds of stuff. It can include like exploring many new places, trying out different hobbies, exploring self’s potential. It totally depends on the parents how they teach their children different things and how much freedom they give.
There should be at least one sport that the student should develop as a hobby. This will help when the child is grown up. This will help in the mental stability when the child is in stress.
Students shouldn’t spend their summer vacation indoor by watching television, in fact, they should go to some of the summer camps. Summer camps provide a great opportunity to the children to explore many new things, to showcase their inner talents, go on an adventure, to learn things that are not in the textbooks. Summer camps help students to be with nature, Climb Mountains. They also teach students some basic home applying things like cooking, camping, crafts, art, creativity, etc. These skills are required for developing an all-rounder personality.
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