It is extremely difficult to be the bearer of bad news, but extremely joyful and gratifying to be the bearer of the contrary. In either case, you have to be extremely sensitive, compassionate and have an open mind to whatever reaction may arise. It may be sadness, shock, anger, happiness, or a mixture of all, and you need to take it in yet still be calm and comforting.

That is only the emotional and more sensitive aspect of being a doctor or a nurse. This doesn’t include their day to day jobs from attending to patients to running across hospital hallways when an emergency arises and putting the patients first before themselves. I can’t begin to imagine how much pain I’d be in if it weren’t for my team of doctors and nurses, who answer my calls no matter what time it was and make this a little more bearable.

I remember pressing the emergency button by accident, and in a blink of an eye, five nurses ran into my room, with more just outside the door.

As for my father, who put his life on hold to be here with me during treatment, I cannot imagine my life without him here. He left his job, family, commitments, and everything else behind in Saudi Arabia to stay, and I cannot be more grateful.

Coming home to a clean apartment every single day, waking up to my coffee and breakfast already made, lunch served after a long day of classes and studying, driving me to and from the hospital for my appointments and treatment, and infinite day-to-day things that would take me paragraphs and many articles more to list all of them. At the beginning of this journey, I insisted to him that I didn’t want anyone from my family to stay here and that I could do this alone.

The truth is I don’t think I can, and I thank God every day that my dad stayed regardless. Thank you, Dad, for everything, I love you.

My family —most of them reside in Saudi Arabia as well. My mother, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, and relatives, your constant prayers and phone calls always make my day, and I look forward to visiting you all very soon. I remember every word of encouragement and every piece of advice you’ve given me, as they keep me going especially during the tough times.

To my friends, who send me countless messages every day to see how I’m doing, and never fail to make me laugh no matter how down I was feeling, I am blessed to have you all by my side.

It is amazing to see that in tough times, the number of people who will stand by you and offer all they have. A few even flew over to Seattle to visit me, and that made me appreciate every memory, every happy moment, and every good friend. Thank you for showing me the true meaning of friendship, and I hope I’m at least as half as amazing of a friend as all of you have been to me.

To my teachers, professors, and every educator, thank you for giving me the ropes to fight this and to go through freshman year simultaneously. You’ve pushed me to the brink many times, but that only made me realize my self-potential. Your words and lessons will not be forgotten, especially now.

And finally, to the strangers and acquaintances that have reached out to me, you are incredible human beings! Your messages and prayers make my day, and I often go back to them in times of despair and challenges, so thank you for giving me that strength!

I am alive, healthy as I can be, and happy because of these people, and I owe everything to them. I thank God everyday for blessing me with such wonderful people and an extensive support system.