TheBanyanTree: Glowing

[Margaret R. Kramer]

Try to imagine yourself as a little cancer tumor hanging out in a lung.  You
’re thinking about spreading your joy and cheer to other places, but
suddenly, a high beam that seems to come out of nowhere hits you right in
the gut.  You crumble, stumble, and try to stand again, but the beam hits
you again, this time in the back.  Four times this happens to you, each time
the beam glows brighter and brighter, while your glow dims.

Finally, you have a hole in your middle.  Your body parts are being absorbed
by the host body.  You are not able to spread out to other places.  In fact,
you’re shriveling away to nothing.  And within a few months, you’ll
disappear altogether.

Good-bye, little cancer tumor.  Don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Ray had four radiation treatments.  Each time they also did a CT scan.  The
last CT scan showed the cancerous tumor in his lung had a hole in it and was
breaking up.  The cancer has not spread anywhere else.  Ray is finished with
his treatments!  He said there were hugs all around and lots of smiles.  He’
ll go back to the radiation oncologist in August for a check-up.  Isn’t that
great news?

Throughout this, Ray was able to keep going to work.  He ate well.  In fact,
his weight is up from 125 to 142.  He’s been upbeat.  He didn’t suffer any
affects from the radiation except a bruise on his chest.  This was sure a
lot better than surgery and having half a lung removed.

The key to this successful treatment is that by a sheer stroke of luck, the
lung caner was found early and had not spread to any other part of his body.
Ray had colitis and spent three weeks in the hospital, but all the scans and
x-rays on his colon allowed the doctors to see the cancer in his lung and
get going on the appropriate treatment.

And the icing on the cake is that today is a beautiful day, warm, but not
hot, low humidity, and little wind.  It’s a good day to count our blessings.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net
margaret.kramer at polarispublications.com

Dad, your guiding hand on my shoulder will remain with me forever.
~Author Unknown