An Ovarian Tumor Taught Me to Have Gratitude For My Body

At 32 years old, I learned a lesson of a lifetime

I was sitting on the beach in Puerto Rico, two weeks post-surgery, after having to remove a 7 cm tumor in my right ovary. I placed my hand over the scars on my abdomen. Three incisions are healing on my body: my left side, my belly button, and my right side. I send immediate gratitude to the robotic cystectomy device for performing the smallest incisions to remove what didn’t belong.

I felt my left side — the scar was smoothing out and healing faster than the right. I then move my hand to the right side. This scar was oozing pus, and there was a strange indent on the abdomen, like something was missing. And then it hit me; the surgeon didn’t just remove the tumor as I had naively thought.

He removed a large portion of my ovary with it.

I laughed out loud, not realizing the logistics of a cystectomy would require the removal of part of my ovary. Duh, I thought. Then tears began to well up in my eyes as part of my organ was gone, and yet everyone made me feel like this surgery was routine and not a big deal.

You’re lucky it’s benign, friends would tell me. It’s an easy surgery they perform all the time, said my doctor friends. Or the worst comment, you should feel…