web1_116436761-fba10a84e2634d3a9971b67309fed62b.jpg

The hackability of voice assistants revealed

web1_TTL050617Dinosaurs1.jpg

Event offers humans the chance to walk with dinosaurs

<p>Cancer is so unfair. I mean it really, really is unfair.</p><p>I know, I&#8217;m stating the obvious, but it <em>is</em> so unfair. It doesn&#8217;t matter how old, young or what gender or skin color you have.</p><p>My 21-year-old sister, who is graduating from King&#8217;s in under 20 days, should have her family so happy for her. And believe me, we are. But we&#8217;re also dealing with my problem.</p><p>I was coming home with my mom from Fox Chase Cancer Center on Wednesday &#8212; the second trip in as many weeks &#8212; and my sister called wanting to tell us about her senior seminar presentation. For those who don&#8217;t know, a student has to pass their senior seminar to graduate.</p><p>My mom and I had just been dealt a &#8220;you have to have surgery as soon as possible&#8221; &#8212; which the doctor just so happened to pencil me in Monday before even meeting with my mom and I.</p><p>So, we were processing and trying to figure out the logistics about the surgery because I&#8217;ll have to be in Philadelphia for some time because of the surgery and my doctors are down there.</p><p>But we&#8217;re on the turnpike discussing our plans and my sister calls my mom, who just blankly says &#8220;hello.&#8221; My sister quips back with &#8220;don&#8217;t sound so happy to talk to me.&#8221;</p><p>I wanted to cry.</p><p>This time should be used to celebrate my sister&#8217;s graduation from college, but instead we&#8217;re focusing on me, with cancer rearing its ugly head.</p><p>Despite feeling great since mid-January, we knew something was bound to happen. Life was too great. Then the symptoms began in late March &#8212; back pain, blood clots, frequent urination.</p><p>We hoped it just an infection that could have been taken care of with an antibiotic, but my last CTScan proved otherwise. I have a tumor on my bladder, which is big enough that it&#8217;s growing into the bladder. Several other smaller things are all occurring for the perfect storm, but the doozy was the news that the tumor on the bladder hasn&#8217;t shrunk with the chemotherapy pills I&#8217;m taking.</p><p>Armed with that knowledge and a new plan from my amazing doctor, we saw two new doctors, a urologist and radiation oncologist. Everything from radiation to surgery is now on the table.</p><p>The silver lining &#8211; and yes, those who know me by now, there always is one &#8211; is that I&#8217;ll feel comfortable.</p><p>Just as with my gynecologic oncologist, my urology surgeon is great. He&#8217;s very laid back, and my mom and I trust him a lot.</p><p>I&#8217;m actually excited I get to be at Fox Chase for at least overnight, because it&#8217;s the one thing I haven&#8217;t done there. I&#8217;ve done clinical trials, I&#8217;ve gone to the different wings of the place, and I&#8217;ve even had in-and-out procedures, but I&#8217;ve never had surgery which will require me to stay overnight.</p><p>But, while I&#8217;m in surgery, my mom has to sit in the waiting room and wonder if everything will go okay. The past two times I&#8217;ve had surgery, once for my hysterectomy, it was supposed to be three hours, it turned into five and a half, and the other for a port placement, turned into three hours from 45 minutes.</p><p>And while life has dealt me an rough hand, what is really and truly unfair is that my sister and my mother have been dealt just as bad of a hand, just as bystanders to the situation.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_web1_Melanie-Mizenko-toned-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Mizenko </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/web1_web1_Melanie-Mizenko-toned-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Mizenko </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Melanie Mizenko</p><p>mmizenko@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Melanie Mizenko at 570-991-6116 or on Twitter @TL_MMizenko</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Cancer is so unfair