The stupidity of teenagers

One would think that being dx with cancer, and a particularly deadly form just a few years ago would make a kid sit up and take notice. Apparently, if that kid is my 19 year old nephew, one would be wrong. He virtually stopped taking his medication back in January. He's not doing well in school and last semester, we all said "Well, who can blame you?" His local MD wrote out a "Get out of flunking out of school letter" but warned him he'd never do it again. He started an antidepressant, started seeing a therapist, and hell I needed those things without a dx of cancer.

He seemed to rally, is doing marginally better in school, and likes his job. He's taken interest in a girl who seems to reciprocate the feelings. But stopped taking the medication, taking the chance that his cancer could become resistant to the gleevac. His cancer MD opened a can of whoop ass on him, asking him what he'd like to do die or go for a bone marrow transplant. Smart ass teenager replied "I don't know, I'd have to think about it."

This statement says that for now, smart ass teenager is alive and well, but he thinks the cancer is not in control. Part of me is glad he's still acting like a "normal" teenager. It's no surprise that his stopping the meds coincides with him achieving cellular remission. He may not hit molecular remission now though, which means that he risks a full cure. What he fails to understand, like most of us, is that we ourselves are not in control either. We fool ourselves into thinking that we control our own destinies, and God just sits back and smiles. Occasionally, He will let us continue with that delusion for quite some time.

I sincerely hope his wake up call does not come in the form of a bone marrow transplant. He'll wish he was dead before it's over and has a 50/50 shot of that happening anyway. He'll have wished he took the damn nausea inducing, joint pain causing gleevac instead. And his family will sit by his side, in a mask and gown, and hold his hand wishing the same thing. Dumb stupid teenagers.