Peter just enjoyed day two of an amazing opportunity; shadowing Dr. David Ting and his colleagues in the lab at the Charlestown Navy Yard campus of Massachusetts General Hospital. One area of research for Dr. Ting is the study of circulating tumor cells in pancreatic cancer patients, and Peter was able to see firsthand the methodology used to identify and isolate cancerous cells in a blood sample. Peter, who is leaning toward engineering as potential focus of study, came away with a new appreciation for life sciences. And there is something particularly poignant about what my son was able to view under the microscope, as I am currently a research subject in a similar clinical trial for lung cancer. Which brings up an interesting point–not all clinical trials involve administration of an experimental therapy. This is the third time I have participated in a trial that required only my signature and blood draws; a pretty easy way to help advance medical science.
While Peter was hanging out with cancer researchers, I checked out the neighborhood around the navy yard. Armed with my camera and some sensible shoes, it was my own version of a field trip. A good day’s work for us both.
life and breath: outliving lung cancer 