Suleika Jaouad, writer of the New York Times column Life, Interrupted on the Well blogs, is Prabal Gurung’s first Monday Muse (according to her Facebook page)! Truthfully, she’s such an inspiration to everyone, including me. I started reading her column when it began early last year in the Times, and I truly appreciated the insight she gave on young adults with cancer. Being a “young adult” is already a tricky age, but to compound a grave, life-threatening disease on top of that had to be devastating for her. Yet now she’s basically an ambassador for others with cancer, offering starkly honest thoughts on her experiences to her audience. As someone who wants to go into the pediatric oncology field in the future, I often think of cancer cases in relation to young children. But through her column, I’ve gotten a little glimpse of what it’s like to deal with cancer at such a pivotal age… the age where you feel like your adult life is just beginning, yet you still can’t wait to get home on breaks to give your parents hugs and spend a night in your childhood room. Yeah, I definitely agree with Prabal Guring: Suleika is a wonderful muse to us all.

Also, happy birthday to my little sister! I think that for all who know her would agree with me that she is also a perfect Monday Muse.