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Cancer
In the Loop: Finishing radiation treatments with Scottish flair
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Six months after having surgery to remove the cancer from his body, Leonard Hislop was told that the cancer had returned. He suddenly was facing 30 rounds of radiation. But instead of dreading those treatments, Leonard decided he was going to find a way to "make it fun." And for the first 21 days, he did that by "dressing up nicely" in a "different pair of slacks, sports coat, tie, and shirt" for each appointment.
Then, "three Fridays" before his last treatment, Leonard decided to break out an outfit that no one at Mayo Clinic had seen: an ensemble that paid homage to the Scottish heritage he holds dear. "I'm kind of a crazy American-Scot, and a few years ago I designed my own tartan (plaid) pattern," he tells us. "So I wore a pair of tartan slacks that I had manufactured in Scotland." Leonard tells us he completed the outfit by wearing "a jacket, vest, tie, and shoes typical of an afternoon outing in Scotland."
As the final day of treatment approached, Leonard wanted to do something "extra special" to celebrate. He told his care team he was planning to show up to his last appointment — where he would ring a bell signaling the end of his radiation treatment — "in a formal kilt outfit with turned down socks and the whole kettle of peas." Read the rest Leonard's story.
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This story originally appeared on the In the Loop blog.
