Cancer

Dear Cancer (Circling Back)

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young are spinning on the record player
I dance to Suite Judy Blue Eyes and remember who I am
Just a few weeks ago this scene would have been near impossible

Dear Cancer

Dear Cancer,

you probably don’t remember me.
you’ve probably seen a million kids since you met me.
there are thousands of kids that they couldn’t save,

Two Ribbons

Dear Cancer, I never would have thought that December 31, 2019, would be a day I would receive news that would change my life forever. I was in a complete state of denial, shock, and disbelief as I sat in my car in a parking lot.

Dear Cancer, Isn’t It Ironic?

Dear Cancer,

Read those two words again, isn’t it ironic? “Dear cancer.” Two words that should never be side by side, but here they are placed together so carelessly and yet also intentionally.

Dear Cancer, You Came Into My Life…

You came into my life as a nagging change—a slight pull to the left and a dimple on my breast. “It’s nothing. I am too young for it to be something.” I took you with me to visit my doctor.

I Walked A Thousand Miles

I walked a thousand miles away from home—
IV stands and frozen steps
Dicarbozene and overcast skies
With you, the uninvited.

Dear Cancer: You Lost

Dear Cancer,

Hi, it’s me again. We haven’t talked in a while, but honestly, I didn’t know what to say to you. You failed to drag me down and I rang that wonderful bronze bell in spite of you. There was a celebration when you finally moved out. Of course, you took a bit of my femur with you, but I don’t mind. I got a really cool scar in return.

Uninvited Intruder, Unyielding Survivor

Dear Cancer,

If you had a face, a form, or a name, what would it be? Would it be a grotesque monster lurking in the shadows or a subtle, insidious force weaving its way through the fabric of life?

Dear Cancer, You Became My Silver Lining

Dear Cancer,

May 19, 2015, the day I discovered you were living within me. At just 26 years old, I was gearing up for a rollercoaster ride that, little did I know, I would never get off. I thought there would be an end to you, a day where my life would go back to what it was, and I could act as if you had never happened.

The Devastated Loved One

Dear Cancer,

It’s hard to even want to talk to you right now. Throughout life, I’ve seen what you are capable of, the pain you cause. You destroy lives. We try to be positive. Community and family rally around those you take hold of, but you don’t care about that.