A former Coral Reef High School teacher dying of brain cancer visits former students to find out if

[mfcorey1]

he made a difference in their lives.

ix years into his no-holds-barred brawl with terminal brain cancer, David Menasche was partially blind and crippled. He couldn’t drive and he could barely read. Huge swaths of his memory had been wiped clean. His marriage was falling apart.

But that wasn’t the worst of it. He could no longer teach English in Room 211 at his beloved Coral Reef High, a mega magnet school in South Miami-Dade where he had been one of the founding teachers.

“I was afraid of losing my purpose in life,” recalled the Miami-born, Pembroke Pines-raised Menasche, now 41. “For so long I had lived to teach my students and I couldn’t even do that.”

So Menasche did what no sane person in his condition would seriously consider. He stopped treatment and set off on a cross-country trip at the end of 2012 to visit his former students. He wanted to know “what kind of legacy I was leaving and if I had made a difference in their lives.”

The result of that journey is a memoir that explores one man’s search for love, family, purpose and gratitude. The Priority List: A Teacher’s Final Quest to Discover Life’s Greatest Lessons never offers facile answers — only an examined reality that is uplifting and even, at times, comical. Menasche will be speaking about his book Tuesday, Jan. 21 at Books & Books in Coral Gables.

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/01/18/3879416/teacher-dying-of-brain-cancer.html#storylink=cpy

[riderinthestorm]

1. That's a great article. I went to a lecture by the great Yale oncologist/surgeon Bernie Seigel

He was finding he had certain patients who elected to NOT do chemo, or operate on their tumors, who decided that they would spend their last remaining time finishing their bucket list, or pursuing a long overdue passion, or making amends - whatever. Finally deciding to live the remainder of their lives in joy, peace and happiness, for however long that was.

There was this percentage of folks whose cancer went into remission. Or didn't progress to killing them. Who were living 1, 2, 3 years longer than predicted. Dr. Seigel had no answer for that so he explored why that may happen. His book Love, Medicine and Miracles is really good.

David Menasche's story reminded me of that. He decided to stop treatment and go find himself really. Now his tumor is in remission spontaneously as his journey brought him profound peace and love.

Things that make you go hmmm....

Thanks for sharing!

[truedelphi]

5. I love Dr Bernie Siegal.

It is amazing that he took the time and energy to go into the metaphysical direction that he pioneered. Back in the late Seventies, most physicians were really still about the "science" of disease.

But the word itself tells you something. Dis + ease.

I did hospice work for about 20 years. I can't tell you how many people hung on in order to reconnect with a loved one who couldn't arrive for a set period of time, and although their doctor told them to say good bye on the phone, they wouldn't do that at all. They waited til their loved one was there and then died after saying good bye in person.

It was also a huge lesson for me that no one dies alone. They might live their last few years alone, if the family has preceded them in death, or if relatives do not visit. But at the moment of death, every soul who has entered this world is given escort(s) to assist them into their new world.

[CrispyQ]

6. Years ago I read an account where an oncologist

gave two groups of patients the very same meds, but the one group he told them the names of the medicine & arranged the names to spell HOPE. He was stunned that the HOPE group did remarkably better. He admitted it wasn't scientific, but afterwards, he always told his patients they were on the HOPE meds.

[livetohike]

2. K&R

[broiles]

3. Like the doctor in John Sayles "Men With Guns"

But that didn't end so well.

[Schema Thing]

4. "....and see if anyone wants to 'cook a little meth in this rad motorhome'."

[fadedrose]

7. Your telling put tears in my eyes...

It's good that he's recognized for his devotion to teaching. Hope his students appreciate his concern for their well-being.

We have good teachers, but not too many like him...

Thanks .