Laurie Mengel

Lecturer of Ethnic Studies at California State University Lecturer of Ethnic Studies at California State University
1mo • Edited • 1 month ago • Edited • Visible to anyone on or off LinkedIn

An Open Letter to my Friends, Colleagues, and Students

(Please note that I have not been on this site for a very long time as for the last three years or so all of my accounts have been hacked by a former student of mine, who has taken the liberty of writing posts to my online classes, social media, as well as this platform. However, this post was written by me, and I will check it more often to make sure it stays written by me.)

About three years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Although my doctors thought I had beat it, it has metastasized into my neck, spine, ribs, pelvis, and legs. (I am a jelly fish.) I am dying an extremely painful death. I am not sure how long I have left, will find out from my oncologist this week, but the doctors and the social workers from my last lengthy stay in the hospital seem to be directing me towards what I would like to do when (not "if") the cancer progresses. I am at Stage 4.

I think this is a rather tacky way to announce this news, but I could think of no better way to pass on this information to those who follow me, former students of mine, friends and colleagues whose email addresses I no longer have due to the hacking of my email accounts by my stalker. I'll admit I wasn't a very good teacher in my last days of teaching but had wonderful experiences teaching and really getting into intellectual interrogations with my students in my early and mid-teaching courses. I still have after-course letters of gratitude from my students on my fridge.

For whomever stumbles across this posting, and feel inclined to do so, I would love to hear from you. You can drop me a quick note on this site, or, as getting mail at the post office is always a special treat, you can write to me at:

Laurie Mengel
POBox 434
Honoka'a HI
96727

My education and my research and teaching have taken me to worlds I never previously thought possible in my life. I stay up all night in the hospital watching CNN and I weep for the destruction of our Constitution and for all of those that fought in the struggle to defend it, and the demise of Ethnic Studies scholarship. But it has been an amazing ride. Thank you for being a part of it.

Aloha,

Laurie