Time to Share: I Have The Most Wonderful News!!!!

I received some great news today and would absolutely love to share it with you.  I use my blog to record important events like this, because as I mentioned when I started this blog; We go about our daily lives "Facebooking," not realizing that our lives are being shared daily with our friends and family. There are times we wish to reflect on the past, especially the good times, and before you know it, it's gone. We share things with people we don't know in the physical sense, yet they are there to listen. We share things with the people we love, yet they seem to forget.

Countless times I have attempted to remember what I've posted on Facebook and what I've told the people I love or the great discussions we've had. And it's difficult to go back and reflect on all the good that's happened in our lives, or all the drama that's made us laugh. In order for me to go back I have to keep clicking that "older posts" link, without a date, without a tag, without no way of searching for that special moment I wanted to remember forever.

Well... the awesome news I want to share with you is....

I'm receiving a promotion, with a 15% increase in pay and I'm absolutely ecstatic about it.  This is such great news at a time when I was worrying about our staffing issues at work.  People seem to be dropping like flies around here.  Yes, some leave because they are over-worked, really stressed-out, asked to do jobs they were not hired to do, but others leave because they're able to find greater jobs here at MD Anderson, so they make lateral moves.  But being that I have worked in Breast Oncology for such a long time (9 years to be exact), I have stood my ground for the past four years, exceeded in areas I never thought I could achieve, and have proven to be a leader in our department.  This holiday season will be mine and Ryan's greatest holiday to date, and I am so grateful he has stood by my side for the past 6-1/2 years and will continue to enlighten me every moment of every day.  I couldn't have done this without him.  I couldn't.

I know I rant on my blog on a daily basis, but it's more than just ranting.  I like sharing.  I like sharing my opinions with happiness, my happiness with heart, but most importantly, my heart with all of you.

Thank you for reading my blog and enjoy your holidays this season.

Peter aka Blade 7184

#1 in The Nation for The 5th Year in a Row...

In 8 out of the last 10 years, the institution I work for has ranked No.1 in the U.S. News & World Report's annual Best Hospitals survey.  And I'm proud to say that for the 5th year in a row, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has retained it's #1 ranking. 

On Monday, our President, John Mendelsohn, M.D. had this to say to each, and everyone of us...

"This recognition is acknowledgement of the outstanding work that you, our 18,000 dedicated employees, do here every day to care for our patients, carry out our research, and to advance our mission in all areas. Credit also belongs to our many volunteers, whether in the hospital or in the community, who actively support our work and, most importantly, to thousands of patients who place their trust in us."

This October I will have been here four years, and to this day I've had no regrets. I had applied for a position here several times before, and was never contacted due to the hundreds of applications our HR department receive on a daily basis... 

Luckily for me, I didn't burn any bridges with former employers or co-workers, that someone I used to work with at U.S. Oncology referred me to their supervisor.  I was granted an interview and eventually got hired.

To know that I am part of a team that is striving everyday to find a cure for this terrible disease, makes it all worthwhile.  It is an honor to work for the best cancer hospital in the nation.