I said a bittersweet farewell to my sarcoma specialist today. She's off to greener pastures at Emory (more money for research) and her counterpart is leaving to head up research on sarcoma drugs at a major company in California.

I was her only patient today...and we must have just talked for close to half an hour. We decided that I stay on at Moffitt with a regular medical oncologist (versus transferring to an Orlando oncologist) and outlined my five year plan. The order was written to schedule my port removal (hooray).

We talked about what could be done to improve the emotional well being of Moffitt inpatients. We talked about her dreams of curing sarcoma one day (did you know it is the least funded of ALL types of cancer?). She gave me her cell phone number and her personal email and said I was welcome in Atlanta whenever I needed to see her...which she hoped was never.

I hope it's never, too...unless it's at a survivors event honoring her. I hugged her goodbye and thanked her for the times she talked me down from wanting to quit chemo and from checking out of the hospital AMA during my zero white cell crises.

Dr. D had always been a good doctor to me. Today she was my friend.

I'm going to miss her.