Appeal!

Appointment with the allergist again today. He was not disturbed by the fact that I still have a bit of a rash on my arm from last week's skin test, nor by the results of the blood work which were "inconclusive." He didn't even talk medicine at first - he started to talk about how I needed to decide for myself how I want to live my life. Will I take risks? Will I hide in my room all day? Will I travel the world or let a little allergy hold me back?? It was a freakin counseling session! I tried to make it clear that I had already undertaken these big life decisions and decided that I was just as much 'at risk' in Brooklyn as anywhere else and was going abroad anyway. He said "good" and proceeded to tell me how important it was to live your life to the fullest. He said he was a liberal doctor, and that maybe another doctor would say something else. I said that that's nice, but all I really needed to know this whole time was whether he'd write a letter to the Peace Corps doctors saying that it's ok for me to go. Finally I just asked him and he said he'd gladly write it. So I go back next Thursday to pick up a letter and then I can file my appeal!!

What I know of the appeals process is this: Tula, the screening nurse at the Peace Corps, coordinates the whole process and becomes my advocate. I send her a cover letter and whatever medical documentation I have. She brings that to the original doctor who declared me "Not Medically Qualified" to see if he'll change his mind. He could make his decision in a matter of days, and if he does change his mind, then I'm in. If he doesn't, then the appeal goes to a panel of Peace Corps doctors and nurses. They meet once a week and hear only 3 cases a day, so this could take 2-3 months (from the time they get the appeal, which would probably be early July at this point). If I win the appeal, then I somehow go through the process of getting a placement again (likely somewhere where there aren't many brazil nuts - like, say, ANYWHERE but Brazil!).

So things are looking up, perhaps the most they have since that fateful day in April. No matter what, I'm excited to go to Honduras and get to have that experience. If all goes well with the appeal, I'll start with the Peace Corps maybe sometime around January. If things don't go well, I'll be in Honduras and look for other opportunities to do some interesting work there. All in all, life's looking pretty good!