Jennifer L. Keene
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Frequently Asked Questions
I thought I’d use this little lull between surgery prep to answer a few Frequently Asked Questions. Keep reading to see why I included this pic Is the mass benign? We don’t know and won’t have details until it’s removed. The surgeon will not do a biopsy because the mass is nicely contained right now.…
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My 9/11 memories
September 11, 2001 dawned clear, sunny and seemingly perfect. A new chapter in my life had started just the day before: on 9/10 I accepted a job that would require me to leave New York for Washington, DC. Truthfully, I was crushed, but I really wanted – and needed – the job so I made…
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Step by tedious step
The tedious part of addressing my adrenal tumor started to sink in during the days following my initial diagnosis. I have to take a subway to a bus just to go to the hospital or to Dr. E‘s office. Going home or to the office from the hospital is even more awkward. There’s a lot…
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My surgery has been scheduled
There are so many mundane details I could share with you but here’s the important one: the surgery to remove my adrenal mass is set to happen on September 21 so long as all goes well with my remaining pre-op tests and a physical.
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Bad news. What now?
First read this. When the morning after my diagnosis rolled round, I called the office of the surgeon listed on my ER discharge papers. While the doctor was about to be out of the office for three weeks (how nice for him), he would be able to squeeze me in that afternoon. I got lucky–at…
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2016 is not my year either (apparently)
This is kind of a long story, one that doesn’t yet have an ending so I am opting to break it into parts. Here is Part 1. Things were looking up, mostly. I went on a fabulous vacation to St. Martin with friends. Though hard, I survived a year of sad anniversaries. I moved to…
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How much do you want to see Hamilton on Broadway?
Whether you have never seen the hit Broadway show Hamilton or you’re dying to see if again, you have come to the right place. I have a pair of tickets – orchestra seats – for January 4, 2017 up for auction on ebay through August 24. You can learn more and bid here. You’re probably…
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All these terrible anniversaries
I knew to dread Christmas. Because obviously, Mom and my first Christmas without Dad would be hard. My body created a buffer of sorts: I was sick in bed with bronchitis for three days beginning Christmas Eve, leaving Mom to fend for herself. I was so ill I couldn’t even feel guilty until later. I…
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The monster in me
My mother is crying. I am sitting with my arms around her in a gesture meant to comfort, but it’s a perfunctory effort. My arms may as well be made of wood, and my heart, of stone. It’s February and we are in Florida, attempting to celebrate my mother’s first birthday without Dad. Mom is…
Got any book recommendations?
Welcome 