When I was diagnosed with osteosarcoma at age 15, I was told by medical professionals around me that it would make for a great college essay. It was not the time to worry about my chances of getting into college.
Having cancer did not make for a great college essay.
My college essay was sad -- as sad as an essay about watching children with cancer die around you in the oncology ward can be. A professor years later put words to it: survivor's guilt.
You may be wondering what this has to do with software development. Well, I am not a Baudelaire but my life has often felt like a series of unfortunate events and tech has largely changed that. I'll admit it -- the pay in this industry has changed my life and anyone who tells you that money isn't everything has probably never been made fun of for wearing the same pair of pants to school every day. They've probably never had to pay out of pocket medical expenses to deal with all the shit that comes from all your friends dying.
So, this is why I am so passionate about sharing my experiences in this field: what I did to get here and what it's like to be here.
This is my truth ** mic drop **.
Top comments (2)
Oh my god. I cannot believe your doctors said this to you. Holy smokes. I am SO sorry they were so obnoxious... And so glad you got through. Survivor's guilt is the poops. We survived, but we don't need to be guilty for it. But I think it's important that we share our experiences so that there is more awareness for the kinds of things we have gone through. Hugs!
Hi Hiro! Thanks for commenting. I'm glad we got through it. I'm glad it's over. I'm glad we're still here <3