Dylan Nehrenberg

 At the end of September I woke without vision on my left side and a mild headache. I thought it was a migraine, which runs in the family. 24 hours later my symptoms persisted and so I presented to the emergency department in Boulder, CO. An MRI there showed a mass in my right occipital lobe, and after surgery I was diagnosed with a glioblastoma--an aggressive form of brain cancer. The prognosis is unfavorable, 1-2 years, but there are exceptions and we remain hopeful.
Since then I've had incredible support from friends and family and from the internal medicine residency program here in Salt Lake City. The cancer will certainly be life-limiting; however, I ultimately hope to complete my training as a resident physician. Even in these few weeks, the lessons I've learned about death, disease, and illness are unlike anything I could have ever hoped to learn during my medical education. I hope to have the chance to share that in a meaningful way.