You know you are going to die when you have cancer, especially if you have the ones that act like a lethal chamber, like blood or lung cancer. Well, unless a miracle happens, you will have to live your entire life walking on eggshells. We all know death is inevitable but cancer is a journey to death.
My best friend Faith was on her journey to death as I call it. She has stage II bone marrow cancer, the doctors call it multiple myeloma I think. She was diagnosed when she just turned 5, just so you see, we do go a long way back.
Faith is funny and sarcastic. She’s the true definition of a friend, a babe and more. And She is also beautiful. I say beautiful because I literally can count the number of times I’ve seen a strand of hair on her head, I gave her the nickname baldie. I’ve spent 7 Christmases, 4 Easters and 2 Valentines right here in the hospital. When I think of it, I knew I had said more prayers with her at the hospital than at home and church put together. On the day we were told that the cancer has graduated to a stage 2, I wept till my teary glands were out of liquid but Faith was the quite the opposite. She told me, the only good thing God had done in her life was to give her wealthy parents; her father was a billionaire.
Last week Faith celebrated her 15th year birthday. That wasn’t the only reason I was so happy jumping all over the place like a frog for. She was getting her bone marrow transplant too. The first two donors suddenly quit, so we are down to a third.
I come today after school to see her and find her in tears. “oh my God, baldie what’s wrong” I say shaking her shoulders. After series of sobs and wiping of tears she finally speaks.
“ She got burnt” she says in between sobs.
“ Who got burnt?” I ask as my heart flips.
“ The lady who was the perfect match for my marrow transplant got burnt today” she says and goes into another sobbing spree. I come close and hug her. We stay like that in silence for a while then she sleeps off. I later got to understand that her donor was involved in a fire accident and she was burnt beyond recognition. I was overwhelmed with sadness.
The next day after we had lunch I decided to try take her mind off her present predicament. Just like in cartoons, an invincible bulb appeared on my head.
“Aha! I have a question for you”
She gives me a weak smile.
“ Imagine, just imagine life without the fear of death, like what will be the perfect life without being scared of dying” I say this as if I had just discovered the cure to Cancer.
“Really babe?” She asks me deadpanned. I tell her to stop being a kill joy and do as I say.
“alright fine” she rolls her eyes at me. I grin like an Idiot.
“ Hmmm, life without the fear of death, that would be fun. First off am going to remove this life sucking needle stuck in my vein and head straight to the Mall.
I chuckle. “After stuffing my face with enough junk that could get me either diabetic or obese within the blink of an eye, I’ll go home to sleep on my bed, you know it’s been long I laid on it.
“You Know I love Usain bolt right?” I reply nodding like a lizard.
“I’ll get a coach to train me for the Olympics” she says as her voice becomes slightly high pitched and her eyes dreamy.
“ But you have the legs of a duck” I tell her.
We share a laugh. “ I Know, you don’t need to remind me. I’ll train. This time everything will be intentional.
“Intentional?” I ask
“Yeah I’ll take my time, one step at a time”
I smile.
“Am going to live in the moment, she says.
“What of love?” I ask her.
“That too, am going to take my time to find someone who will make me laugh often” a tear threatens to escape my eyes then her mum comes in suddenly. Announcing that they have found another bone marrow donor. I screamed out in joy. My best friend rolls her eyes saying. “ you might hear he was run over by a car or bitten by a snake”.
I and her mum shout in Unison “ Have some faith!” Faith bursts out in laughter then we join her, while we are laughing faith says “ what an irony”.
Immediately the laughter had died down the doctor came in. His presence solemnifies the room. He gives us a tight smile and tells us to excuse him, as he has to examine his patient. I and Faith’s mother step out. I can see her smiling through the doors at whatever the doctor has to say. In that moment I remember, her wishful thinking just this afternoon mimicking the look on her face I say to myself but in a whisper “Ditto, baldie…. Ditto”.
Arueze Chisom Precious, a passionate writer can be reached through sommytilly1402@gmail.com
