Welcome to PJ Lukac's Personal Page

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Team Peej

Mr. Paul Joseph Lukac

86 percent of goal achieved.

Goal: $10,000.00
Achieved: $8,643.33

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I once had long luxurious locks. Now it's short and half is curly. I like it better.

Dear Friends,

My story: I am a 25 year old 2nd year medical student at Columbia University. I finished 1.5 years of medical school when my life took a different path (temporarily). On December 30th, 2008, I found out I had a brain tumor; Jan. 2nd, 2009, it was removed in a total resection; Jan. 8th, I found out it was malignant i.e. not good. Though 16 months now I've been 100%, and at this point I don't even think about it anymore; prognosis is better and better every day.

My symptoms were strange. In late October 2009, I began having simple, partial seizures that I thought was simply anxiety associated with medical school. I would have a song stuck in my head, one that I knew very well, but I couldn't pinpoint where I knew it from or what the words were, and I had an intense deja-vu feeling. Then, for the next 1-2 minutes, I would be confused with a slight loss of hearing. This happened about once a week.

Now that I think about it, there were other signs too. I had some pretty uncharacteristic anxiety and depression, probably due to swelling and infringing on other structures. My test scores dropped, as the swelling pushed on my amygdala and affected short-term memory (I still passed). My left eyelid drooped occasionally; very rarely I had trouble coming up with a word I wanted to say. I won't bore you with too many more details, but I will try to keep up a blog.

I must have gotten this stupid brain tumor for a reason...probably to raise money and become a stellar doctor. Now I know without a doubt what field I'm supposed to enter. I have a gut feeling that I have a long life ahead of me.

Since diagnosis, it's been a long, eventful, and productive year. I often say if I could look back 10 years from now in perfect health, I would look upon these 16 months as the best of my life.  I've become closer to my family, and gained many lifelong friends.  I made a difference (I hope) working in a renowned brain tumor research lab at Northwestern.  I was part of last year's Team Peej (obviously) that really helped me be who I am today (in a good way); we raised $60k for the ABTA.  I traveled, I read a lot, I learned the guitar. I became friends with Sanjay Gupta and Bonnie Hunt. I lived more than I ever have.  Probably because I've learned to live each day like it's my last.  

 

link to the Bonnie Hunt Show appearance:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hcvhdH-kLHk

Waxing philosophical, this kind of makes me think of the quote from Shawshank Redemption about "get busy living, or get busy dying".  In my case, I think that dying introduced me to what living truly is.

On that note, I'm not dying and am in fact doing quite well. Clean MRIs so far every two months, a full head of hair (albeit one side is curly because it grew back different from the radiation), and a new agenda. I've pushed brain tumors in people's faces on local news channels, CBS World News, the Chicago Tribune (front page), and the Bonnie Hunt Show. My best achievements, however, have come with the ABTA. 


As for the money raising, please support my cause. I'd like to raise $10k individually for ABTA, so let's see what I can do. ABTA is a Chicago-based charity with ALL OF THE MONEY OF THIS EVENT GOING TO BRAIN TUMOR RESEARCH and PATIENT, FAMILY, AND DOCTOR INITIATIVES.

I'm secretly hoping the team can do $15K more than last year, which would put us at an even $75K. I'll grow a beard or dye my hair blue or grey or something if we do. 

20000 gbms are diagnosed each year. They are rare and underfunded (I know from my time spent in a lab), and they have such profound effects on patients, their families, and their friends. After speaking with countless others with this affliction and their families, I know I'm not alone.  Let's stop it!

1 year later

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mri update
for those interested, all clear last thursday. whoop de whoop.
now just studying ahead, sigh. looking forward to may 22nd run.

by Paul Lukac on Tue, May 04, 2010 @ 12:04 AM

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woohoo
Recently passed median free survival (15 mos.) unscathed. The longer one goes with no tumor progression, the better prognosis. Hope my brain is hardy enough to continue, with a little help from God.
Recently started studying for my medical licensing exam (and training for the 5k, sorta) in earnest. In fact, I should be doing that right now.
PJ

by Paul Lukac on Sun, Apr 18, 2010 @ 1:35 PM

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ugh
cubs. the year was over before it began.

by Paul Lukac on Thu, Apr 08, 2010 @ 3:43 AM

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med school update
med school plods along, and it is great. coming up: the oncology block, and i'm going to rock it.
weather here is perfect, new apartment comfy. studying can be a bit overwhelming, but it's a good path I'm on.
i have this new program for my computer, self-control, where you can block websites of your choice for a specified period of time. i think it will boost my board score by at least 10 points. woot. clearly, i have not blocked abta.
til next time,
me

by Paul Lukac on Mon, Apr 05, 2010 @ 11:51 PM

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special prayers in order
calling on all special prayers for my 18 year old friend from new jersey who is struggling with his gbm. God is hard of hearing because he's so old, so the more there are, the more it will help Him hear!

by Paul Lukac on Thu, Mar 25, 2010 @ 9:02 AM

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update!
I'm swimming along swimmingly through med school. i can still remember stuff and pass the exams!! woohoo.
anyway, as we move forward, we will be selling some pretty cool pins for the runpjrun effort. more on those to come.
i met a new, though slightly flawed, friend last night at the gtown-marquette semifinal in the big east tournament. despite his allegiance to marquette and unwarranted trash talk (we kicked their butts and they said, thank you sir, may i have another), Buddha was a great guy. anyway, i'd like to say to those who read this to also think of his son as we fundraise. he had a neuro-derived tumor (neuroblastoma) as a child and is now fighting leukemia (secondary to his neuroblastoma treatment). he's doing well, from what little i know though.
may the force be with you

by Paul Lukac on Sat, Mar 13, 2010 @ 1:16 PM

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med school update
That's it. My fundraising goal is $10,000 this year, and I'm moving at a snail's pace. Thusly, I will not be shaving until that goal is met. My facial hair is sparse and trashy looking. I'm not even sure if they'll let me put on my white coat and see patients with this spotty growth. I think it's more like lanugo than a "beard". Help a brotha out! And pass it on.
I'm back at school, and it's a love/hate relationship in that I love going to class and seeing patients (and am a bit more fond of studying), but I hate the sleep deficiency and stress. It will all work out for the best.

by Paul Lukac on Mon, Feb 15, 2010 @ 10:40 PM

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Hello to Bonnie Hunt Show fans!!
I like her too. Thanks for giving the time to visit my site and learn more about the ABTA and its noble mission.

by Paul Lukac on Tue, Jan 19, 2010 @ 11:24 AM

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mri update
My MRI on January 14th was all clear! 1 year plus 2 weeks (13 days and like 8 hours) tumor free.
I am back at med school (Columbia) and McLoving it. I wake up every morning really happy to go to class, a strange sensation. The first week I saw a patient, I was oddly very comfortable. Last year not so much...
Fundraising seems to be tough this year, but I think this will be more of a late surge than an early one like last year. I also expect the team to be larger. Let's hope.
I also have a new brain tumor brother from New Jersey. He is 18 and has a scan on Tuesday; cheers to it being clear (I am praying).
Now I have to study cardio. Two exams in a week-and-a-half. A good test to see if my brain is still a lean, mean, memorizing machine.

by Paul Lukac on Sat, Jan 16, 2010 @ 7:18 PM

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Team Peej-The Sequel
We are back in black, ninjas of the night, better than ever, ready to destroy brain tumors through our fundraising prowess.
I promise to update this weekly this year.
To start--January 2nd is my 1 year since me and my brain tumor parted ways. Most of him is in the -80 C freezer. I am here. I win.
I am going back to school Jan. 4! Got an awesome one bedroom at 111th and 8th in New York. Many friends I will forward to seeing. Dad is yelling at me to eat dinner...gotta go for now.
Much love,
PJ

by Paul Lukac on Thu, Dec 24, 2009 @ 7:47 PM

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