I remember that day in July, shortly after being diagnosed with RIM (Radiation Induced Morphea), when Dr. Mario Lacouture at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, mentioned this treatment to me. He told me that it is a trial and that I would have to be accepted first. The doctors at Avène Hydrotherapy Center, were looking for someone with my condition and he felt that I could be a good candidate. Fast forward I was submitted and accepted 🙂
I was somewhat unclear about what would be awaiting me. I knew there were doctors there but somehow, it didn’t seem “medical” to me. Being from U.S.A, I’m not used to “natural” and “medical” coexisting under the same roof let alone practiced by the same doctors. The reality of this beautiful marriage materialized when I met Dr. Sabine Petit. Walking into the examination room, I started to feel a sense of childlike curiosity. She was so bright and kind, and well…petite :). Her delicate frame could barely contain her voluminously delightful energy. She inspected my lesions with scrutiny and care, and to me, she seemed excited. I suppose I would be too. This medically proven treatment for eczema, among other skin conditions, is about to be tested on a new ailment for the first time. I was getting excited too. I was thinking “Well, they have chosen my condition because they feel that there is a possibility that this treatment could make an impact. It’s not like they closed their eyes and picked a random “disease name” out of a hat.”
Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t excited because I was being given false hope. I was excited because I get to be a part of this thing that’s so much bigger than me and my brown speckled body. Whether this treatment works or not, or to what extent it improves my condition, I get to go through this tunnel. And I know that in some way, shape, or form, I will come out of the other end changed for the better.
I don’t have another appointment with Dr. Petit until the day before I leave, but I have been seeing her joyous face at the treatment center many times. I feel very confident when I say that her energy alone is a source for healing and I know I’m already better having her as one of my loving doctors!
Shirin In Avène 