Are You Listening, God? It's Me, Shauna...

A few of weeks ago a friend of mine from the States who also lives in my building called me late one night for help getting to a doctor. She was having stomach pains that were really severe and hadn't abated all weekend and needed to get somewhere.

Over the course of the past few weeks, and due to the incredible level of care and assessment she's gotten at the Seoul National University (Bundang) Hospital she has received some stressful drastic news...

She has cancer in her small intestine, it's NOT a little mass, and it has metastisized to her liver. Apparently it was visible 2 years ago in previous visits to doctors in another smaller city in Korea when she went in about digestion trouble... since the doctors she saw were not specialists they missed it, handing her 3 days worth of pills because she wasn't digesting her food and sending her on her way.

From our neighbourhood the closest medical facility happens to be a very famous hospital in Korea, and as a result her care and assessment have been very thorough, and she has the top doctors at this hospital working with her and helping her deal with everything. She also has an English liaison person at the hospital who translates everything for her.

The doctors seem optomistic about treating her (surgery) but tell her she is "in a very dangerous place" with the cancer. I am sure that she is terrified, but she refuses to cry or "feel sorry for" herself.

Korea's medical system is fantastic, and even without insurance (which she actually does have) it's reasonably priced for medical care when compared to what we charge foreigners at home (and compared to what uninsured people have to pay in the US).

A person might ask "why doesn't she just go home? why is she staying in Korea instead of getting treated at home??" but it's just not that easy, especially for many Americans. My friend can't just return home for treatment, because in the US if you don't have insurance through an employer everything you need from the medical community is fee for service, and how is she going to pay for cancer treatment and surgery with no job and no insurance??

Things here are still a bit up in the air as to what the plan of action is (more appointments with the cancer clinic next week), but so far she is receiving good treatment, and I hope things will continue on that path until she is cancer-free.

She is understandably very upset, but in dealing with most of it all on her own, she doesn't want to talk about it much for fear that she will fall apart and not be able to pull herself back together. Her mom and sister know, but she hasn't told her dad or her 23 year old son yet... I think she wants to wait until things are dealt with rather than 'up in the air' before she says anything because she worries their stress will just add to her own rather than providing any level of comfort or support to her or to them.

My heart aches for her, and I just really needed someone else to be here, to hold this knowledge with me as I send my prayers out for strength of heart, love and peace of mind to her and the people who love her... and for a quick and full progression to life and cancer-free state of health as she knew it...