Two years ago, next month, they badgered and brow-beat me to see a medical specialist when all I really wanted to do was go back to my regular life. With no insurance and an invincible attitude, I had no interest in seeing doctors for anything other than my "annual invasion." But they kept at me, insisting that i got checked further. I caved and went to see a couple more doctors who told me I had cancer.
Scarier words are not in existence, its true. But, when caught early, my type of Thyroid cancer has a 99% survival rate. So, thanks PP. Here is a copy of the story I sent to them last year.
"I am a theatre technician, so there are years when i spend more time under-employed and uninsured that I do working. So I am grateful for Planned Parenthood all of the time. Until very recently, I wasn't sexually active at all, so aside from breast exams and pap smears, it just wasn't something I thought about. While I appreciate how much time and concern you put into the reproductive health of others, mine wasn't anything I spent time worrying about. But the story I want to tell goes beyond gratitude and appreciation. Its the story of how Planned Parenthood saved my life. As mentioned, I am a theatre technician. I was between gigs at Christmas time, so I went home to Minneapolis. It was time for my annual exam so I made an appointment, knowing that my finances would qualify for their discount program and hoping to breeze through to my usual clean bill of health. This, sadly, was not to be. The nurse practitioner went through all the usual steps; breast exam, do I feel threatened at home? do I have any concerns about pregnancy or STDs? It all seemed pretty ordinary and she seemed to think I was in good health. Until, following a little prodding, she found a lump in my neck. A lump, by the way, I probably never would have noticed. She performed a thyroid test and had another nurse come in to poke at it as well. The test results weren't anything they were too worried about, but they suggested I have a specialist take a closer look. With my limited funds and no insurance, I was reluctant to see another medical professional, but I took their advice and made a few phone calls. While waiting for my follow-up appointments to happen, I was bombarded with letters from the Minneapolis Planned Parenthood. ''Just making sure you're following up'' letters came every couple weeks, which was actually pretty helpful. I likely would have ''forgotten'' about my weird neck lump and gone on my merry way if they hadn't continued to send those letters. And, boy, am I lucky they did. After an array of tests, biopsies and surgeries, my medical team told me I had follicular thyroid cancer. The second most common kind, but it never affects someone as young as me. Except that it did. They got it all out, removed the offending tissues and, aside from a daily synthetic hormone, I'm well on my way to that clean bill of health I was looking for. All because of Planned Parenthood.
I wish I could support Planned Parenthood financially. I wish I had the kind of job that made volunteering at Planned Parenthood a viable option. I just wish there was a way to really say thank you. So instead, I do what I can. I tell my story to anyone who will listen. My battle back to healthy is one that I tell often on Facebook, and I even stop to share it with the protesters who congregate outside. I know my story won't change their mind, but I try. In these crazy political times, every other commercial on TV is about how Mitt Romney will do everything he can to get rid of Planned Parenthood. I will do my small part to make sure that doesn't happen.”
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