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The Day I Found Out I Had Ovarian Cancer

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The Day I Found Out I Had Ovarian Cancer

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In the old-old category of late adulthood (age 83), I received news from my doctor concerning my ovarian cancer screening. The results showed active and advanced cancer cells in my ovaries. I was devastated, but not surprised. I knew my likelihood of this result was highly probable.

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I am 87 years old in late adulthood, and I am nearing the end of my life. I am currently at the VITAS Healthcare hospice facility and surrounded by my family. They've encouraged me to eat, allowed me time to rest, and shown much patience for my growing need for assistance. My doctor informed me that I have a little over a week left. I plan to spend this time making final connections with my family the best I can. I am proud of the life I lived.

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I was 60 years old in middle adulthood when I reached my designated retirement date. Amidst Stage 7 of Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Development (Generativity v. Stagnation), I spent 15 years providing theraputic services with Kaiser Permanente and 10 years in my own private practice. Additionally, my daughter was now 26 and in medical school for psychiatry. I raised her with a wonderful mindset, and I admire her driven passion. I chose generativity for my middle adulthood impact.

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When I was 35 in early adulthood, our child turned 1 year old. While raising her in her first year and throughout her life, we set clear and reasonable house rules in which we helped her to understand. We consistently engaged in active listening and open communication. The authoritative parenting style represented our highly responsive and demanding nature as parents. Additionally, due to this parenting, our daughter developed a secure attachment style. As she spent her first year of life in Stage 1 of Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Development, she chose trust over mistrust.

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At age 30 (early adulthood), I married my best friend. Relating to Stage 6 of Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Development, my husband and I hesitated during the initial stages of romance back in our college years. We both had unresolved trust concerns from our past. However, as we worked through this, we chose intimacy over isolation, and it was one of the best decisions we've made.

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I was 26 in early adulthood when I graduated from UC San Diego with my PsyD in Clinical Psychology. At this time-point, I was in stage 3 of my career development. I was objectively weighing the options of private or corporate practice and considering my future aspirations in the process.

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At age 17 (late adolescence), I was at a friend's house when my two close friends informed me of their atypical gender-expressive and sexual preferences. As a child, I learned to assign meaning to gender ("girls are to behave like girls"), and I grew up amidst limited gender norms. However, I listened to understand my friends, I unlearned biases and those limited gender norms, and I accepted and admired them for their strength in expressing themselves in a restricting society. My social cognition regarding gender went through a great change from this day forward.

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The Day I Graduated Highschool & Began College

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The Day I Graduated Highschool & Began College

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In May 2020, I graduated highschool and began college at the age of 18 (emerging adulthood). My highschool experience was rather different as I independently studied with an online program. Although, assignments were still assigned and graded by teachers. I also set my own daily school schedule (formal learning). Progressively, I decided I wanted to attend UHMC as it would provide me with cultural indulgence, independence, and many other benefits.

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At the age of 15 (adolescence), my father died from renal failure. Weeks before his passing, he was in a nursing home attempting rehabilitation. He showed weakness and a minimal appetite. Days before passing, his sleep insomnia required the use of a breathing machine. He spent his last nights at the hospital. His breathing sounded like a "death rattle," his skin became colder to the touch, and the hue of his skin turned purplish and pale. He died receiving comfortable hospice care.

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At 14 years old in my adolescence, I entered into my first romantic relationship. This picnic date was fun and intimate. This relationship spanned for 2 years, and was exclusive and intense. However, this relationship later met its end when it became apparent that I was searching for my identity while he was experiencing role confusion (Erikson's Theory).

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Here I am attending an event at 13 years old. We all played on the Hurricanes soccer team, and this single-sex friend group continued to carry through early adolescence. Additionally, entering into Stage 5 of Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Development (Identity v. Role Confusion), me and this group of girls began socially experimenting and developing our sense of selves.

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At 5 years old in early childhood, I had better coordination of my arms, legs, and body. I could leap, balance on one foot, and complete more complex dance moves. What great progress in my motor development!

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I was 11 years old in middle childhood when I learned how to throw and reel in a fishing line by observing my dad and brothers (informally learning). I caught on quick! *pun-intended*

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Here I am with Girl Scout Troop #4423. I am 8 years old (middle childhood), and this is where my peer likeability was at a prime. I enjoyed helping and doing favors for others, and as Stage 1 of Selman's Theory of Friendship Development states: a friend is someone who does nice things for another. Additionally, as I was in Stage 4 of Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory of Development, I compared my good deeds, accomplishments, and extracurricular activities to that of my peers’. I chose industry over inferiority as I was proud of my doings.

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I was 70 years old (late adulthood) on Christmas day of 2072. I was in Stage 8 of Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Development (Ego Integrity v. Despair). As I watched my son-in-law joke with my grandson, my daughter gaze at them with true admiration in her eyes, and my son-in-law's parents share the same look of immense pride as me and my husband, an emotion came over me. This emotion was that of contentment and true ego integrity.

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I was 16 (adolescence) when I started my first interning job. In my earlier adolescence, I explored different interests (sports coaching, babysitting, volunteering), and something that internally persisted was my interest in helping others and working with children. I had reached identity achievement in this aspect of my identity. On my first day, I clicked with the students and my coworkers, and the joy I felt reaffirmed my passion for this area of work.

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I spoke my first true word at 10 months in my infancy. I uttered "Mama!" My mom practiced this word with me lot. My mother socially engaged with me consistently, and this helped me choose trust over mistrust in Stage 1 of Erikson's Psychosocial Theory of Development.

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I took my first unassisted steps at 11 months in my infancy. My 23 month old twin brothers were running, jumping, and all of the above at this same moment in time. Reasonably so, I was eager to learn and join in on the fun.

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At 9 months in my infancy, I was gifted a bongo. With this bongo, I expressed Substage 4 of Piaget's Theory of Cognitive Development by intentionally playing tunes for my mother's amusement.

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I was delivered by caesarean section due to my breech position in my mother's stomach. She was in labor for five hours and was given an epidural for the intense pain. My mother often jokes that I was doing cart wheels in her stomach.