“The case of the day!” echoed down the hall.
Then in came the doctor, imposing and tall,
With a nurse and bright-eyed student in tow,
Something important abreast that I would soon know.
Shifting uncomfortably, I prepared my ears,
For words that I was simply not ready to hear.
“Rare, difficult, unlucky and large… “
This mass in my leg was now in charge.
“Surgery, radiation, scans and chemo…”
Many dizzying words that I did not know.
With my heart pounding like a drum in my ears,
I wished my family were here to assuage my fears.
But in this foreign land, scared and alone,
The voice of the doctor continued to drone.
“Next steps, referrals, biopsies, and labs…”
I just missed my brothers, my mom, and my dad.
I hoped I could see them at least once more,
Before the conclusion of what was in store.
“Son, if you have questions, I may have some answers…”
But I did not hear a word after cancer.
A medical marvel, a disease for ages,
Fodder for students and for journal pages,
A fantastical subject destined for the knife.
But this “case of the day” is the rest of my life.
Adam Christopher