Well the third time was a charm. With a smile on his face, he said, “We got all the cancer cells out.” I gave him a hug. We are not done yet I have to stitch your face up. It took about 45 Minutes and I was done. “I don’t want to see you back here again.”
Before I left, he checked my arms ,my back,my chest and my legs. I had a little Frankenstein under my right eye for a while . He gave me some cream to put on it which I did religiously. Because of his fine work I don’t have a scar.
My cancer was nothing compared to some people that I knew. My friend’s granddaughter had a double mastectomy. “I don’t feel like a woman anymore” she told me so… I went to the hospital to visit her. The next day I returned wearing a pink tutu and a box with cream colored ribbons. I had bought her a white silk robe with Marilou feather around her neck. She looked at me and said. “I feel so pretty now.”
One of my students at Slimmons also had breast cancer. I visited the Lladro store in Beverly Hills. They had a figurine that you could buy and the proceeds would go to cancer research. After class I gave her the box. “What is this?”she said. “It is a gift for you… and put it in your bedroom and look at it every day.” She was not an emotional woman. She looked down at the ground and simply said…”Thank you.”
I have lost a lot of friends to cancer. But I want to leave you with a positive story. One of my best friends shared with me that every time she ate she felt sick. I made an appt for her to see my doctor.
“I have stomach cancer, Richard. I have to go to surgery immediately.” She went to the hospital for 20 days. And after 8 chemo treatments they told her she was cancer free. She wanted me to know that she survived to thrive.
I know some of you reading this have had cancer or have known someone in your life who has had cancer. Promise me you will see your doctor and get a complete check up.
Love,
Richard
