Rizvi's Road: A Gathering of Friends

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

A Gathering of Friends

Sunday, August 29 marked a picnic Linda threw for Syed, his nephew visiting from Texas, and his close friends. It was wonderful to finally meet all the people so important to him. I must say, I find myself amazed but not surprised by the support and true friendship shown by all that surround Syed. At the end of the picnic, I walked away thinking that Syed is a true example of the saying, “people know you by those you associate with”—all are wonderfully amazing people to know. We should all be so lucky to have his friendship circle in our lives.

Here's a few photos:

Adding more pictures to picnic posted by Caroline earlier.
These pictures were taken by my nephew Saeed Raghib who came from Dallas, TX to see me.

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About Rizvi's Road

You get yearly physicals. You enter new decades of your life. Your physicals start to expand to include new sets of “regular” standard tests. You place your faith in your doctors. You are vegan. You eat healthy. You exercise regularly. You are active in your community. You have never been to a hospital. You have never had surgery. You think you’re doing everything right to stay healthy. The next day you learn you have colon cancer.

This blog is about Syed Rizvi’s road to recovery from colon cancer—how he found out to what’s happening now.

Meet Syed Rizvi. Syed is from the India-Pakistan subcontinent. He was born in 1933 and spent his early years in Patna, India. In 1955 Syed moved to Karachi, Pakistan where he received his Masters in Physics and then taught Physics at a local college. In 1960 Syed migrated to the U.S.A. to continue his education. By 1972, he became a naturalized citizen.

Living and working in many cities across the U.S., Syed finally settled in the San Francisco Bay Area in 1996, the place he now calls home.

In mid April, 2010, Syed noticed he suddenly became exhausted, out of breath, and slightly dizzy when walking from his front door to the driveway. He immediately went to see his primary care physician. His doctor asked if Syed considered his symptoms serious—serious enough to be considered an emergency. Syed replied no, he did not consider his condition serious. The doctor then scheduled a series of heart-related tests.

After a month of tests, Syed’s cardiovascular system proved to be in tip top shape, yet his symptoms persisted. His doctor then recommended he see a neurologist. Before scheduling a new series of tests, Syed talked with his friends about his condition. His friends became concerned that his doctor did not consider his condition more critical and they helped Syed get urgent care. This was the moment when Syed’s life turned to a new chapter.

Syed took a blood test, a test that should have been taken the day he met his doctor the first time. The next day, his doctor’s office called, informed Syed he was severely anemic, and instructed him to go to the ER immediately. Syed was then admitted to the hospital.

Over the next few days, Syed underwent numerous tests. It was finally discovered that he had a tumor in his colon and he had been bleeding for quite some time. Within a few days he underwent surgery to remove the tumor and part of his colon. Syed then learned he had Stage 3 colon cancer.

Join Syed in his journey. Share your thoughts or your own story. We all have a lot to learn from each other. That’s what Rizvi's Road is all about.