October is a big month in Fiji.
... I should be hosting a volunteer from the new group in my village for 5 days. I should be getting ready to celebrate my village's anniversary, Dakuivuna Day. I should be saying my goodbyes to the group of volunteers from the year before me. I should be getting ready to celebrate Fiji's Independence Day.
I know everything will be okay. It will. But right now, it sure is difficult to understand.
On August 17th (3 days before my birthday) I went to Suva and had an ultrasound done. I had been having some minor issues with my menstrual cycle and so the gynecologist wanted to have a ultrasound done just to rule out something like a benign polyp. My uterus scan was clear and those issues I was having have since self-resolved. However, that day the lab technician found a mass inside of my bladder. The next week I saw a Urologist and had a repeat scan. Mass was still there. And so Peace Corps Medical wanted to send me overseas. After confusing reasoning for wanting to send me to New Zealand, and then Thailand, Peace Corps finally said to go home. No one communicated anything to me except that I was going. But okay, so I go. I meet with a urologist in Minnesota who in my first visit seeing him does a simple and fast look inside of my bladder through a cystoscopy. It took less than 2 minutes and we were in his office and he confirmed the scan findings. We scheduled surgery and the following week I had surgery, removal and biopsy of the tumor. Pathology confirmed it was low grade, non invasive bladder cancer.
Fun Fact: 9 out of 10 people in the United States with bladder cancer are over the age of 55. And 75% of those people are men.
It was successfully, fully removed and no other treatment such as chemotherapy would be necessary. There is a chance of reoccurance but with check ups would be simple and easy to remove once again. The doctor wrote in his notes for me to have a cystoscopy done in 3-6months. Again, the cystoscopy was that very simple and fast peek inside of my bladder while I was awake and in his office. So that means in my year of service remaining in Fiji, I would need ONE simple, fast check up that is very routine for a Urology Specialist...who I have already met and seen in Fiji. He is familiar with what he would be looking for in reoccurance as it it likely to come back the same way it did the first time, if it comes back.
Peace Corps has said they will not let me return. At first they hardly gave any information as to why this decision was made saying, "we are more comfortable with you having care in America." Great, awesome Peace Corps. But I don't need any form of care until 6 months from now so why am I not going back for a minimum of 6 months? In 6 months I could have a cystoscopy in Fiji with the Urologist I have met, my Urologist in Minnesota is comfortable with and I am comfortable with. It is his speciality and this is again a routine, simple, non invasive check. It would be like a gynecologist giving a female a pap smear...IF at that check up something was found I would completely understand Peace Corps separating me from my service at that time. Shoot, they could even send me home FOR the cystoscopy at 6 months and I would accept a medical separation at that time..even though I the test could come back clear. Because what does 6 more months in country mean? It means I can assist my youth in finishing their poultry farm project we started in July. The same project in which I JUST had thousands of dollars deposited into my account from my approved Peace Corps grant that me and my youth group spent months preparing. I could prepare my community , village, counterparts, teachers, coworkers, students, boyfriend and friend for my departure. I could attend a scheduled Let Girls Learn Conference and bring my counterpart, building up their sustainability in Family Life Educatiom-our purpose in Fiji. I could attend the mid service conference for Peace Corps Volunteers. I could search for a job..better preparing myself mentally, physically, financially and with insurance...this would make the most sense for my health. I could say goodbyes and all parties involved could have closure.
Cancer is a scary word. But Between now and 6 months from now that's all it is..a word.. I do not need any care. 6 months is a long time in the world of Peace Corps. So why do they want to make the extreme, conservative, unfair decision to kick me out of the Peace Corps RIGHT NOW? I still am not clear on that.
P
