Living with the Ribbon
A Teenagers Story About Battling Cancer Through High School
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
“My surgeon was the last to arrive. He brought with him the dreaded consent form that carried my last bit of hope of escaping surgery . There was maybe a .05% chance I would manage to leave the hospital right then, but I never gave up that hope. He read me and my parents the form. One box that stood out to me was the alternatives, everything else was kind of a blur because I was not paying 100% attention. When he read off the alternatives box, he said, "NONE. You go to any hospital and they're going to want to take your thyroid out." He handed me a pen to sign, not that my signature really mattered. I signed it because that was my only option and handed it to my mom. Once that pen hit the paper, I knew that was it. It was actually happening. The anesthesiologist came in and put an IV in my right forearm. The whole team followed him and they gave me a medicine to help me relax. I said goodbye to my parents and tears started pouring down my face. I knew I would survive, I trusted my surgeon with my life, but I was still in disbelief and I really just wanted this to be a joke. I just stared at the ceiling the whole way to the operating room wondering what the next couple hours would be like. Once we entered the operating room, it was nothing like what I had pictured. It was dark and cold, a very unwelcoming place. I transferred to a metal table. A couple of pillows were placed under my knees. I can't remember everything from that point on, probably a good thing. A mask was placed over my mouth and they told me to relax and take a breath. It seemed like it was forever before I went out.”
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
MacKenzie’s life would be classified as ideal by most teenage standards. A set of supportive parents who were still lovingly married, a best friend who was also her identical twin, a mentally tough athlete (who had more muscles than most of her guy friends), and a competitive GPA that was sure to get her into a great college. Everything was right on track for a perfect life, until the age of sixteen, when she was shockingly diagnosed with cancer during a routine physical. Living with the Ribbon is an authentic recount of how MacKenzie Greenberg dealt with the diagnosis (what denial?), suffered through anxiety at each medical appointment (all one hundred-plus of them), responded with “Fine” when asked that annoying “How are you doing/feeling?” question, stubbornly refused to listen to the advice of her support system to “take it easy,” and ultimately, how she continues to battle daily with a disease that will not play by the rules.
About the Author
MacKenzie Greenberg is a recent graduate of Hopedale Junior-Senior High School, who lives in Mendon, Massachusetts, with her parents, Kim and Alan; twin sister, Morgan; and older sister, Lindsey. Growing up, she was a dedicated gymnast and dancer with aspirations to perform in Cirque du Soleil, until diagnosed with cancer at the age of sixteen. A three-season athlete, MacKenzie acquired ten high school varsity letters in field hockey and track and field and was recognized as a League All-Star in both track and field hockey during her four years at Hopedale Junior-Senior High School. Recruited for field hockey, MacKenzie will be a member of the entering freshman class of 2019 at the Stonehill College, where she plans to pursue a major in biology and a minor in psychology with a graduate plan to become a physician's assistant. With a strong desire to enter the field of pediatric oncology, MacKenzie hopes to use her life experiences as a patient at Boston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women’s to help other people through their battle with cancer.