A Day At Chemo

A Story by Tom Friel

A Day At Chemo

“Been nice sleeping with you.” There was just a hint of humor behind the deft sarcasm coming from the gaunt face of the pretty young woman who caught us by surprise. She hadn’t said a word to us all afternoon. I believe we responded with smiles and “good lucks”. I wanted to say, “Hang in there”, but I didn’t.

As we left the room, feeling lucky, and sad, I thought about our chat with her mother throughout the afternoon. Never once did her daughter join in, she was mostly sleeping. She was doing her best to block out the hell around her. The doctors, nurses and mother were doing their best, to keep her alive.

She was receiving chemo six hours a day for five days this particular week. A hellacious amount, for anyone. It was all they could do to try and stop the spreading sarcoma. She was far too young to be going through all this but she was a “tough cookie” her mother said.

As the afternoon dragged on my wife and I played cribbage, ate chocolates and chatted with the girl's mother. My wife was in the bed next to the girl, she was getting her fourth round of chemo that day. It's her second battle with breast cancer but we are optimistic.

We ourselves took turns nodding off also, only the mother stayed awake. She was beyond sleep but not tears. We told her tears were a good thing, she need not “seek help” as someone had suggested just because she was prone to cry.

Dear Lord, she was only being human, showing tears for her 'baby'.