Since my December 2, 2005 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma diagnosis, I've been on a slow-motion journey of survivorship. Chemo wiped out my aggressive disease in May, 2006, but an indolent variety is still lurking. I had my thyroid removed due to papillary thyroid cancer in 2011, and was diagnosed with recurrent thyroid cancer in 2017. Join me for a survivor's reflections on life, death, faith, politics, the Bible and everything else. DISCLAIMER: I’m not a doctor, so don't look here for medical advice.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
July 29, 2008 – Some Cancer Poetry
Here’s another way some survivors respond to cancer: by writing poetry. I ran across this poem on a New York Times health-related blog.
It’s by a woman named Kyle Potvin, who’s just gotten over chemotherapy for breast cancer.
The backstory is, Kyle had just come back from a business trip to Texas, where she’d bought her sons terrariums to grow cactus plants. Working with them to plant the cacti, she was inspired to write a poem, “The New Normal”:
To grow a Texas cactus from the start,
You scatter tiny seeds on dirt and sand
(Your nail works well to nudge stuck ones apart).
Then sprinkle water with a steady hand.
Each day, my son asks, “Will it get real tall?”
He crowds his brother as they check for growth –
The way I’ve searched my hairless head since fall.
I pray young shoots will sprout up soon for both.
It happens all at once – soft spikes appear;
I rub my scalp while calling to the boys.
They peer in close to analyze each spear.
My bigger joy is lost to hooting noise.
The victory is all my own: Mom’s hair?
The news is that we grew a Prickly Pear.
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2 comments:
Carl,
Thank you for your wonderful comment on my blog. I have been reading yours as well, and your "Insurance Company Rules" Youtube video made me laugh. It is such a great release after fighting my insurance company day after day.
Bill
Yeah, Bill, we can all use a smile from time to time.
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