Lymphomania: Self-Preservation

I almost wasn't going to write about this, but there were a couple of funny things that I just had to share... One of the side effects of the chemo is a small (about 20%) chance of infertility (that's not the funny part; I'm just introducing), so the doctors point out that if you ever want to have kids, it may behoove you to put some of your boys on ice for later. Now, this was kind of a weird thought for me, but given the fact that a pretty major door could shut forever after this, and after hearing about a friend of a friend who ended up as one of those statistics but was still able to have a kid because he stored, I decided the prudent thing to do would be to get over it and make a deposit.

First funny thing: when I get there and enter the waiting area, this is the piece of art I see hanging on the wall.


I mean... really? I asked one of the women there if that was supposed to be what I think it was supposed to be, and I think it's only supposed to be a representation of cells in general, but she agreed with me what specific type they look like.

The second funny thing arises from the fact that this place accepts anonymous donations. I noticed that on Friday afternoon there is a steady stream of college students coming in to get their weekend beer money. What really got me, though, is that you could tell these people were regulars, because they walk right in, know the receptionist by name, and just start chatting it up. And this isn't just being friendly; the woman I was talking to in an office heard on of the guys and knew that he worked at a Chick-fil-A! (I'll let you try to guess which one. ;) ) These people knew each other! I mean... I knew that college kids did that from time to time, but I never thought of it as a regular source of income.

Finally, the process of anonymous donation is a little more streamlined than what I was there for, and the final step involves punching some stuff into a computer in the waiting area. I snapped this picture of the computer.

If you can't make it out, the sign says, "STOP. PLEASE USE HAND SANITIZER BEFORE TOUCHING THE KEYBOARD." There are sooo many comments that pop into my head from this, but out of a rare sense of common decency, I think I'll just let the image speak for itself.