My Buddy Cancer

Cancer is a bully. When you aren't paying attention, he grabs your elbow and pulls you along at breakneck speed. He pulls hard and fast. He pushes you past insurmountable brick walls and you wonder if he is going to push you into those bricks. He drags you to the edge of towering cliffs and you wonder if he is going to whip you over that edge. Your heart is pounding. You are afraid. Cancer is in complete control and you are losing.

Cancer is too strong to beat with one schoolyard fight during recess. This fight will be long and last until the end of your life. You resist. You resist by getting treatments, by taking care of yourself. Your resistance is heavy, heavy enough to be the anchor that keeps you from plummeting over the edge of that cliff. Aannndddd......things slowww dooowwwnn. You can catch your breath. You can speak without shrieking. Cancer is still anchored to your elbow, but he is not winning today. And that  is exhilarating.

You will  live your life with your buddy, the bully Cancer, by your side. Sometimes he will be the lead of the bullwhip and you will be flung helplessly around. Sometimes you will be the strong one, standing firmly in defiance. Those will be your good days. Hopefully, on the grand scale of life, the balance of your days will weigh positive.