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But because I don’t want to burden others
So I’ to continue to accept his gracious help, I’ to start school in the fall Once I co to ret a single thing I have been through
Because when it boils down to it, it doesn’t seem like Dax is any different than Paul I am just too much of a complicated mess for most people Which s onon anyone else
I take another deep breath The air flows intosomewhat fortified and a whole lot determined, I push myself off the floor Over the next forty-five minutes, I take a shower To make myself feel better, I even do my hair and makeup By the time I make it into the kitchen, I’ym He left me a note on the kitchen counter that said he would be back later in the afternoon and would be glad to take me out to dinner I make a mental note not to be here this afternoon when he coo out and see a movie Treat myself to a nice dinner and some ice cream after
I fix breakfast—granola, yogurt, and a fresh banana—and settle in at my laptop to continue my job search It can be somewhat difficult to find work since I can only co permanently I know there are many people ould never reveal those intentions to a prospective employer, but I don’t feel that is fair So I’ve been upfront to every place I’ve applied In the handful of interviews I’ve done over the phone, I was transparent inback to California and my disease I need to e I coe
My phone rings I glance atthe fas a smile to my face Dr Timothy Marino
I don’t know if it’s actually Dr Marino or his nurse, but I ansith a cheery smile on my face that comes naturally because of who is on the other end “Hello”
“Hey, Regan It’s Mary”
My ser While I adore and have the utmost respect for Dr Marino, his nurse has become a little bit like a sort of mom to me over the past year since I’ve become a patient
When I was first diagnosed with PNH, there was great relief in knowing the name to my problem But because the disease is so rare, there are few doctors who actually have enough education and training to be able to properly treat it Lance i his pull as a professional hockey player In the end, we ultimately decided to have my treatment handled by Dr Marino at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina
He was highly recommended When we first contacted him by phone, he didn’t talk down to us or over our heads There was just a natural chemistry, and Lance and I flew to Durham to meet him
It wasn’t a hardship living in California and having my doctor clear across the country I only had to see him twice a year My lab work could be handled by my primary care doctor in California My treatments could also be completed in California Because of the distance between us, Dr Marino and his nurse Mary did a lot of co with me via phone and FaceTime Perhaps because of the distance, they put in extra effort, tirown remarkably close Dr Marino even came to Lance’s funeral in New York, which is a testament to that fact
“So I heard through the grapevine you’ve moved from Encinitas to Phoenix,” Mary drawls
I laugh, having expected this call eventually The first person I had to contact with er with the pharmaceutical coet a new referral from Dr Marino, which they would submit to my insurance cos would happen quickly this week
“I just needed a break after the funeral,” I explain, giving the story Dax and I agreed on “I’ with Lance’s best friend, Dax”
“Is he a hockey player?” she teases
“Yes, he is,” I return with a giggle
“He’s probably a little too young for me,” Mary sniffs, which I don’t think is the case She’s only thirty-five and incredibly pretty But she has two teenage daughters For some reason, she thinks that makes herself undatable