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 My Blessing in a Curse By: Nick Bowen My life changed forever on Father's Day, 2000. I was just 11 years old. Like every Sunday morning, my parents woke me up for church. I complained of a headache, so my parents dropped me off at my grandparents' house. When they returned, I began vomiting. Everyone thought it was just the flu, or that I had stayed up too late the night before. As my mother left for the grocery store to pick up food for a delicious Father's Day dinner, she told me to take a bath and hopefully my headache would go away. But when she returned, things got worse -- I began screaming in agony until I passed out from the pain. My parents dragged my limp body down the stairs and into the driveway. They couldn't get me into the car, so they called 911. The ambulance rushed us to the Glens Falls Hospital, an emergency CAT scan was ordered. It showed that I was having a brain hemorrhage. A ventricular drain was placed in my head to relieve the pressure and remove the blood. Once the first drain was in place, I was rushed on to Albany Medical Center (AMC). There, the doctors added a second ventricular drain, then hooked me up to a ventilator and life support equipment, while my parents began a prayer vigil over me. The prayers continued during my entire week-long coma. Our church family at Pine Knolls Alliance prayed, my school, The King's School, prayed, family and friends far and near prayed for a miracle. My pediatrician, Dr. Solomon, called AMC every day to check on my progress! Even when it looked like there was little hope of recovery, my friends and family stayed optimistic. Staying close by the hospital at The Ronald McDonald House of Albany was a blessing. The RMH provided the opportunity for my parents to have my younger brother visit on weekends. At one point, my Mom called the Adirondack Community College Summer Enrichment Department to inform admissions that I was in a coma and not expected to live, but not to take my name off the list because I was going to be there! After a week, I came out of the coma. My parents told me why I was in the hospital. I hadn't remembered the hemorrhage -- I was confused and terrified and so sick that my first words to my family were, "If I die, donate my organs." The doctors had warned them that if I survived that I would possibly never walk or talk again, and possibly not even know who I was or who my parents were. But people continued to pray and I continued to heal. The students from my school and Queensbury School made hundreds of cards for me, and my family decorated the hospital room walls with them from floor to ceiling. There was one card across from my bed that had my name in big bold letters on it. Soon after the ventilator was removed I read my name aloud. My mom rushed to myside and began to cry because she realized I knew who I was! The staff of the neurology department at was amazed by my miraculous progress. One day, the neurosurgeons stopped by and had to smile -- there I was with two ventricular drains sticking out of my head, sitting up in bed reading comics from the Sunday paper! Several days later, I received a Lego set and put it together before the doctors had come by for a check-up. When they walked into the room, I held it up for them to see and they scratched my occupational therapy exam! Many people do not live through a brain hemorrhage like I experienced. The doctors told us that it was similar to a bomb going off in my head. People that survive brain hemorrhages often suffer from neurological complications. Miraculously, I had no signs of brain damage or any other severe medical problems. Seventeen days after being admitted, I walked out of the hospital. I attended the ACC summer enrichment classes six days later, just like my Mom had prayed I would do. Two years after my initial hemorrhage and many medical procedures later, I underwent a brain endoscopy and results indicated that I had inoperable brain tumors. So at 13 years old, I began my first chemotherapy protocol. Starting in the fall of 2002, I had chemotherapy every Friday for a year and a half. Approximately a year after I finished the first chemotherapy protocol an MRI showed more lesions. I was placed on another chemo plan that diminished the quality of my life for nearly a year. I felt continually sick from the combination of the three chemotherapy agents taken at 6 a.m., noon, 6 p.m., and midnight for about a week each month and one chemotherapy agent that I received through my port-a-cath. All of these chemos didn't even shrink the tumors. About this same time I had an emergency appendectomy and the next month I suffered from a brain bleed. It was a challenging time in my life, but I was determined not to let cancer rule my life. Through it all, I continued to attend high school, college, and work. The tumors continued to progress and show enhancement, so my third chemotherapy protocol began in January 2007. It was more tolerable improved my quality of life. The chemotherapy schedule was easier to follow and I generally tolerated it with fewer short term side effects than prior protocols. After 2 ½ years on this protocol the tumors appeared to be stable. "Stable" has been our favorite word! Stable can mean no growth or that the tumor is not growing at an alarming rate. At this time I have enjoyed one year off from chemo! Needless to say, my family and I and the many people that have prayed for me over the years were overjoyed by the good news. The doctors remind me that every year I survive is another year for science to catch up. I hope for a cure, but I live each day and make it the best it can be. One of the organizations that has touched our family’s lives in a positive way is The Ronald McDonald House. The friendships with the staff, house guest, and volunteers have continued throughout these past 10 years. Over the years, we have been invited back to participate in special activities. I would recommend people support or volunteer for the RMH because it makes a difference for many families and blesses peoples’ lives. I have learned that attitude and outlook towards life is very important. You can either be excited about life and enjoy all the good things about it and find the good in any situation, or be depressed and afraid of life, and find the negative in any situation. I know having a positive attitude all the time can be a struggle, and that's why I like Kyle Maynard's quote from his book NO EXCUSES. He said, "We are all knocked down in the dirt at some point in our lives, but only the strong will rise again, brush themselves off and move on to conquer and win. That strength comes from inside you, your family, and your faith." This Father's Day will mark the tenth anniversary of my miraculous survival. I appreciate all of the people that have prayed for me and poured into my life and helped me become the person I am today. I have received an Associates degree from Adirondack Community College and graduated from Glens Falls Radiology School. In the fall of 2010, I will be attending Albany College of Pharmacy. I am grateful to have found a career field that truly interests me and one that will also benefit others. It is my desire to show people empathy and treat them with the compassion I have experienced. So…no excuses! Enjoy your family and friends, live with hope and faith, and appreciate each and every day. |
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