On October 31st, 150 students attended a “Talk Show” at the University of Languages and International Studies/Vietnam National University in Hanoi. The audience was made up of four classes, including honors “Fast Track” teacher education students, and those taking a “Designing Your Life” course, part of the university’s attempt to address student wellness through mindfulness and other holistic practices.
Diana was invited to talked about her work in Vietnam, her doctoral studies later in life, and the shocking cancer diagnosis that she received just days before defending her dissertation. She shared how she and her husband Jerry lay in bed, held each other and cried, and how her oncologist told her she’d give her a week, but not two, before starting treatment for an aggressive, often deadly form of breast cancer. And she talked about the holistic practices that held her together throughout her treatment and beyond, when she and her husband returned to Vietnam to say goodbye, not knowing if she would live. The audience burst into applause as Diana told them that she had asked God for “ten years or more, according to God’s will,” and that the sixteen year anniversary of her diagnosis was coming up in mid-November, 2023.
After her sharing there was a Q and A where a number of students asked perceptive questions.
What a wonderful way to celebrate sixteen years post-cancer!
Diana Dudzik 