Jordy Ponzi studied for many years to get a PhD in psychology.

He started working as a clinical psychologist.

And then he got his dream job, counseling patients at the Moffat Cancer Center in Tampa.

And then about a week before I started, I went to an ER and got my own diagnosis and

realized I was actually going to need to enter Moffitt as a patient.

The first time I heard Jordy tell this story was in a video from the Moth.

That's the storytelling event series and podcast.

And this story is obviously pretty heavy.

But what I was so struck by is how funny Jordy was.

Even describing the moment he was told he had cancer.

He made me laugh.

The doctor came back in and he looked really nervous.

And he started making weird small talk. Like,

uh, where's your family? How quickly could they get here?

Finally, the doctor came out with it.

Jordy, we have found what appears to be cancer throughout your liver.

And I was like, what?

And then I distinctly remember him breathing a sigh of relief and saying, oh, I just hate delivering

life-changing news like this.

And being a psychologist, of course, I said, I thought you did great.

How do you feel about it?

Jordy eventually learned he had a rare and aggressive form of cancer.

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