Breast cancer awarenessWe are exposing out titsTo raise money for themWho's no longer existTheir breasts are goneDue to a diseaseA forum to make moneyTo help and easeI flashed mineWill you flash yours?Make a donationEase a person's situation?A mother sufferingLumps in her breastThe thought of her childrenLaying her to restShe will fightLoose her hairSome peopleSimply won't careShe will prevailThrough all the medicationLos...

I'm so happy you're okayI was worried sickI love to talk every dayGlad you came back quick Each day you'll get strongAnd hopefully the cancer is goneHere on earth is where you belongYou're my friend who I count on Those days without you were toughNot knowing if you were all rightI love talking about lots of stuffTalking in the day or night To see your avatar on my pageBrought a smile to my faceYou'll be here until old age...

Many prayers are being sentI'll think about you each dayI'm sad about your eventI'm sorry it has to be this way I pray it will be successfulAnd the cancer will go awayI know it must be stressfulI'd rather see you in a play You're my sweet friendI care about you a lotI know this isn't the endJust a little rough spot I'll be here waitingTo hear the good newsI think you're amazingI hope you won't be bruised I know this is no...

I stand in my tiny kitchen to get a cool glass of apple juice. I grip the bottle tightly as I pour. I stop pouring, not because the glass is full, but because my hand shakes so violently. The shaking is worse now. I can barely hold anything without shaking anymore. I know something is wrong, but no one listens to me. I finally fill my glass after three attempts, I do not spill any this time. I slide the glass across the c...

Today is June 9th, 2015. I've gone in for my first three month checkup with my cancer surgeon. His specialty is urology, and he's also a surgeon, having worked at the Mayo Clinic. I trust he's good at what he does. Over three years ago my family doctor found an elevated PSA level that concerned him. So he sent me to a urologist. That doctor performed a biopsy of my prostate gland and found things were not as they should b...

We used to call it the big "C"And it has had effects on me. The women in our world have wonOur pity for what fate has done.  Great Aunts I never knew have passed,Their horrid war they lost at last.Too late my Meme saw her truth.We never will forget, in sooth. Her daughter, Auntie VioletPassed much too soon, should be here yet. Our Mother, Betty was her name,Could not remain, our loss the same. But we have won some battles...

The droning sound of my alarm clock shattered the peacefulness of my dreams, and I groggily hit the off button and then proceeded to stretch, stifling a yawn. The dim glow of the alarm clock read 6:00AM, and the sun had yet to rise. There was a lovely pink that colored the sky from my open bedroom window and a small draft of air carried my white curtains from their rest at the frame. It was 6:15AM before I managed to roll...

In 1996, at the age of 49, I joined the Army National Guard. I had served previously from the ages of 21 to 25 in the United States Navy. Therefore, when I became a soldier, I entered with the rank of Specialist. It was not quite the same as a Corporal, the same pay grade, because Corporals had more prestige, more experience as soldiers. But I had wanted to serve. And I had tried earlier to reenter the service. However, I...

I lie here in bed tonightMy wife sleeping in my sightQuiet is her breathing nowBreaks the silence of this night. Sometimes I wonder if a past loverWere lying here in your placeI cannot recall all their namesAt times not even their face. But all I see now is youSleeping near me on our bedI don’t know what life would beIf they were here in your sted. We've been through much in marriageTroubles faced through these yearsWe've...

My nursing career began at the tender age of 17. It was inevitable I suppose. As a child I looked after my siblings when they became ill. Placing cold flannels on their hot foreheads, fetching hot water bottles and applying bandages. Caring for the sick did not stop there. I nursed hedgehogs , birds, anything that needed help. Many brave souls have touched my heart with their bravery, dignity and serenity. A few have stay...

Sure, I'll just walk behind you, breathe in the smoke blowing my way, that's bad for you, ya know, and even worse for your asthma, but you don't really care, do you? Why did you pick up that habit?  Why did you start smoking? And I don't mean just the cigarette kind.  Did it seem cool to you? Was it interesting to you? Were you curious and just got stuck?  Yeah, so I have questions, and I don't approve of this behavior, b...

Guess you could say, "Why do I care? It's just hair..." But when you lose it, and that's out of your control... You do care. You wish for it back. I used to have my long, dark red hair down to the end of my back... I lost it half a year ago, Now I have a fake wig I put on in the morning. No one knows, No one really cares, really. They don't know, because I won't tell. There's no reason to tell strangers that I lost my hai...

“Fully alive, more than most. Ready to smile and love life. Fully alive and she knows how to believe in futures.” -Flyleaf, Fully Alive. People look at me differently, now, I am something strange, a creature, not a person. I am acute myeloid leukemia, a disease, not a human. I do not have feelings, you can hurt me and laugh, for I will not feel. You are wrong.

Many years of health Blessing flowed abundantly Laughter, love and peace Without permission Beneath the surface growing Tumors of evil Tears of fear crying Uncertain times lie ahead Love will get us through Sickness darkness light A vicious circle of health Winter days so bleak Spring days get longer Sunshine through the clouds breaks free Haze covers us again Summer brings a knife Malevolent lumps removed Only scars rema...

© 2011, Lee Goldberg It’s often said before the dawn that darkness reigns and hope is gone. Right now I know that’s the way you feel. But dawn will come. You’ll see the sun. One day your struggle will be done. And you will be quite different when you heal. Simple things will bring great joys, the sky, a breeze, a child’s new toys, a lovely flower or a pretty dress. A favorite song, a warm embrace, a cozy crackling firepla...