Bettie Martinez:  

Life I was doing okay, I guess, actually had gone overseas to Venezuela and was doing probono consultations in health care awareness, fell in love and accepted a marriage proposal (first time gettinmg married for me). Came back to the states and resumed my job as a Doctor and bang! two months after my wedding I was diagnosed with a brain tumor the size of a pancake that turned out to be not only that, but an entire disease complex which includes arthritis and just about every kind of "itis" there is from head to toe. I get these episodes called pachymeningitis periodically, and I alway have daily seizures problems. Worse of all, there are only about 1000 cases in the world, hardly nobody does reseach on it and I have only met one Dr. who has heard of it and another one who has seen one-Trust me, I have gone everywhere with this disease looking for a specialist! Unfortunately, I have to count with these "experts" for treatment. They are pretty nice to me, specially being that I having a nightmare of a medical case to handle. I feel sorry for them!!! Anyways, I have trouble doing most anything now; HOWEVER, BEFORE- man, I could not stand the fact that there were not more hours in the day; the fact that one had to go to bed eventually and give up reading an excellent book or studying a new interest; I loved back packing and traveling and meeting different cultures; trying out different experimental foods; aiming at new careers; playing amature archeologist; doing cultural videos; helping people who were less fortunate than I intellectually fill out forms, guide them; fighting for the under-dog; listening to elders talk about their lifes; Listening to anyone who needed someone who would care to listen to them; holding the hand of a person during the final moment and walking with them through the transition of leaving their loved ones, leaving their own body,...Expand for more