C R O W N C I T Y: V E R Y P A S A D E N A
ONE YEAR DOWN What a difference a year makes.
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by LIAN DOLAN ast year in this very issue, the Top Doc extravaganza, I wrote a cheeky column about getting my first colonoscopy. I was pretty, pretty proud of myself for being guilted into finally taking the plunge(r). I am Generation Colonoscopy, I declared, representing the Over 50 Crowd who engages in endless graphic discussions about health issues. I wrote that our motto is, “The prep is worse than the procedure.” Empowered and overconfident, I strolled into the gastroenterologist’s lair and emerged triumphant and a few pounds lighter. As the magazine went to print, I believed I had conquered the colonoscopy.
a cancer diagnosis. Life or death situation? Check. Putting all your plans on hold indefinitely and living on a mysterious timeline controlled by medical tests, food deliveries, and meditation apps? Check. Tons of sketchy, unsolicited advice from flat-earthers who have no medical training? Check. Throw in a lot of blood draws, learning a whole new vocabulary, and harboring resentment about the hand you’ve been dealt (I’ve never smoked! I grow my own kale! I don’t even like Spam or other processed meats!) and you’re right where I was in August 2019. But fortunately, I live in a place where there are Top
... [F]ortunately, I live in a place where there are Top Docs. And Top Nurses. And Top Techs, Top Oncology Nutritionists, and Top Medical Office Staff Who Are Super Duper Nice to Patients with Cancer. Trust me, it’s Top Health Care here in the San Gabriel Valley. A week later, I was diagnosed with colon cancer. If you’re wondering what it would be like to get that call on a random Monday night, wonder no more! Because living through a pandemic/economic collapse is eerily similar to the shock-and-limbo of
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OCTOBER 2020
Docs. And Top Nurses. And Top Techs, Top Oncology Nutritionists, and Top Medical Office Staff Who Are Super Duper Nice to Patients with Cancer. Trust me, it’s Top Health Care here in the San Gabriel Valley. Six weeks after diagnosis, I went in for surgery and had a
