Caroline Rose Ovca Metz Caroline Metz

Hi Everyone :-)  This is my THIRD* attempt at this doozy of a ‘story’...

My beloved FIRST BORN, Casey recommended a new internist to me in Nov., 2017 (Dr. Jennifer Laporta) since my irreplaceable (so I thought) Dr. Turro relocated to southern NJ 😟  Absolute proof that everything happens for a reason, Dr. LaPorta recommended the standard blood work, which came back with an ‘ever so slightly LOW white cell count’.  She asked if I would return again at my convenience to re-check (NOTE: GET YOUR BLOOD DRAWN/CHECKED YEARLY!).

Returning in Nov.’18, my WBC had rebounded to normal range but my RBC was ‘ever so slightly low’ and she recommended a THIRD (3) blood draw.  This occured 3*/7/19 which showed that my WBC was very HIGH (19.6-indicating infection) & I should make an appointment with a Hematologist (Dr. Jeffrey Halaas, CareMount Medical was the first ‘win’, appt. Date: 3*/27).  Ironically, I can’t remember if it was Monday, April Fool’s Day when Dr. Halaas called & asked if I could get an in-office bone marrow biopsy Wed. 4/3*.  

I enjoyed returning as “The Happy Waitress” to work at a restaurant in Katonah, NY back in the Fall ‘18 while continuing to work for RFCUNY at Bronx Community College one day a week (2/14/18-Present).  Two great jobs 😁  But as Divine Intervention would have it (I AM A GRATEFUL Member of a blessed Al-Anon Family 🙏) I would not be working either job for long.

The KR Cafe closed its doors permanently as of the end of business 3*/31/19 (Note: what would have been my beloved parent’s 63*rd Wedding Anniversary 😍 .  And since I’m theTHIRD* born (and this is my third* attempt at putting this story together 🙃 , I know I’m exactly where the Benevolent Universe wants me to be 🙌 . 

So a lifelong Warrior Friend accompanied me to Mt. Kisco to see Dr. Halaas who explained he would NOT be the one doing the biopsy but handed me the equivalent of the winning lottery numbers by giving me the name of Dr. Gail J. Roboz (GOOGLE HER!) & asked if I could go to NYC that day or the next (4/4).  When I asked what the biopsy would show, he suspected ‘Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia’ and he was right (ALL is cancer of the bone marrow FYI; do NOT Google that, it’ll scare the shit out of you.  

Because of my Fidelis Essential I plan (did not provide “affordable access" to the health care I needed (out of network=no coverage)), I
was advised to pack an overnight bag and go directly to ER and ask for Dr. Roboz/Team.  So after a wonderful early morning walk with some Angels in the ‘hood, I headed to NYC with my ‘Archangel’, Kelley Luce Roche, and we spent the afternoon in the ER (Casey arrived after school) wrapping our brains around how quickly one’s life can change…and that the PA projected a “30-Day Induction” to treatment!

So, bone marrow biopsy was done the following day (Friday) afternoon (4/5) and I started the very standard/successful HYPER CVAD chemo treatment plan around midnight Sat.  (includes 40mg steroids 😮 .  I received 5 straight days of two different chemos, took off a week from chemo/steroids to see how blood is affected (daily draws) and have yet to need any transfusions or platelets 👍. (Another bonus is, I do not have the Philadelphia Chromosome, in case you looked up ALL...which I said not to do, so listen to me! As my Mama would say 👵🏻 Fast forward to TODAY, GOOD FRIDAY 🙏  and I continue to live my Nirvana here at Weill Cornell (cross between winning the invitation to attend Hogwarts, where I can hone my Harry Potter magic (all DVD’s in-room with same portable DVD player from Westchester Medical Center 2011 and weaving my most BRILLIANTLY beautiful Technicolor DreamCoat (Greeley’s greatest production, in my opinion).

Trying to get Amy Schumer to come pay these amazing Angels here a visit this Sunday (maybe she might be having her first born downstairs like Granny Bets had all 4 Metz children here :😇

Whatever the Universe has in store for me, I CAN wait (projected treatment is 2 years-ok, should be 3* yr treatment 😉 ...as I am living my most authentic, true life here at Weill Cornell Medical.

Namaste 🙏

Ps-keep all this WHITE LIGHT AND LOVE coming my way and I bet I’m home next week!!!

Pps- the Numero 3,

Da, Three, Tres, Trois, Drei, Tpia is my new favorite number…”I AM a part of ALL I have met”  Tennyson


Kokoro