The Second Assault Back in 1951, my father was 40 years old, with teeth like chalk. He drank too much and indulged in too many sweets. Predictably, he had so many cavities that his teeth were falling out. In those days, reparative work in dentistry was not what it is today, and he had what […]
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Marilea Rabasa
Walking Through Cancer – Part 12
The First Assault on my Dignity I’m starting to shed like a kitten. One short hair at a time. I’ve been waiting for this, hoping against hope that I’d be one of the lucky ones who didn’t lose their hair. “You will lose your hair,” were the first words out of my oncologist’s mouth. Goodness, […]
Cancer Diary – Part 11
My Blood Tells the Whole Story I’m so glad that I had a chemo port surgically implanted in my right shoulder. It’s much simpler for everything: blood draws, transfusions, and chemo infusions. Most of the time I forget it’s even there: painless, just a little bump under my skin. Very convenient. This week, my blood […]
Cancer Diary – Part 10
One Tough Old Bird Nearly three years ago, I tripped on a towel in our bathroom and fell, whacking my head against the porcelain tub. I broke six ribs, had a pneumothorax, and a teardrop fracture in my neck. It was my fault, moving too fast in an unlit room, I made a promise to […]
Cancer Diary – Part 9
A Retrospective Musing Cancer has taken away the life I lived before. Like a thief in the night, one day I was an energetic 70-something, fully engaged in the life around me, and then I wasn’t. But even before this disease struck, I worked at being spiritually healthy. And now, more than ever, it’s necessary […]
Cancer Diary – Part 8
Preparing for the Big Day I have spent a year with night sweats, my first symptom, not counting the white blood count that called for a hematology referral. The mouth sores began with a vengeance in April and have stopped. Just to try and keep them at bay, I gargle with salt and baking soda […]