Schrödinger’s Ovaries
“What I know is this: Some part of me, however small, is already dead. I live around it.”
Editor’s Note: On March 22, Catapult published an essay by Jessica Furseth about her diagnosis of Lynch Syndrome and her increased risk of certain types of cancers. Soon after, Emma Bogdonoff shared with us a copy of her Winter 2017 essay “Schrödinger’s Ovaries,” originally published in The Threepenny Review. We have found additional examples of the Schrödinger’s experiment framework in other health- and cancer-related essays and believe the similarity to be coincidental. As Emma’s excellent essay was previously unavailable online, Catapult is pleased to be able to reprint it with permission.
knowis
a feeling.
Emma Bogdonoff lives on a ranch in Colorado, where she takes care of 12 sheep, 6 chickens, 2 horses, 2 dogs, and 1 donkey in exchange for a houseful of books to read. Her writing has appeared in The Threepenny Review, 100 Word Story, and elsewhere.
Enter your email address to receive notifications for author Emma Bogdonoff
Success!
Confirmation link sent to your email to add you to notification list for author Emma Bogdonoff
More in this series
Why I Don’t Call My Child a Miracle
This is the problem with the vocabulary of miracles when it comes to childbearing: It ends up equating failure of conception or birth with a divine curse.
Inheriting an Autoimmune Disease and an Instinct for Survival
Science provides me with a vocabulary of illness, confirming what my body already knows: that it will never be the same
Digital Distortions: Reflections on Zoom and Body Dysmorphia
We’ve spent quarantine in faulty mirrors, sparking negative feedback loops.