My family and I were appointed to see Dr. Cullen in Feburary of 1999. He was the first surgeon I'd ever met. He seemed warm and receptive. Dr. Cullen explained to us that the Cat Scan revealed there to be a mass in the center of my chest approximately the size of a softball. It was likely, said he, that this mass was an enlargement of the thymus gland. It is said that during puberty the thymus becomes enlarged and then returns to it's normal size slightly later. In some cases, the thymus never returns to normal size. In an attempt to avoid mass panic by my parents, Dr. Cullen placed his bets on my mass being an enlarged thymus. And apparently one does not need a thymus gland to live. Should this be the case, the gland would be removed and I'd never feel the difference. I'd go on ahead and live life as orginally planned.

Like I pointed out in the previous entry I was already sold on having cancer. Still, I boldly asked Dr. Cullen what my parents had been avoiding to. I mean I may have "known" I had cancer, but I was open to being wrong, you know?

"What are the chances that this mass is cancer?"

"I'd say 10%."

Did I call Dr. Cullen receptive earlier? I must have meant deceptive. It's amazing the difference one letter makes.