A poem for having a bad day

by **Comoxguy** on Sat Sep 05, 2015 10:49 am

A poem for having a bad day

by Comoxguy on Sat Sep 05, 2015 10:49 am

Hi everyone.

My name is Steve, I've known I've had multiple myeloma for a year. My journey started last April 2014 when a tumour was discovered in my head that grew and fractured my skull. I had to have a 9.5-hour surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible and then two weeks later had to have my C1 and C2 fused because of the damage. That was followed up with radiation, 3 months in a neck brace, 4 months of chemo followed by my stem cell transplant and more chemo at the beginning of January 2015.

It has definitely been a tough journey, a lot tougher than it needed to be because of the way the myeloma came to me with my tumour. But I must say it has also been a very positive journey in many ways too, and I am doing soooo much better now and living life again. I feel very grateful for the love and support I received from my loved ones and the incredible professional teams and nurses that got me through. I also feel very grateful that I ended up with a disease that gives me great hope for the future with all the research going on and all the available treatments.

I feel I am gifted another chance to really live the life I love. It may not be as long as I planned (or it could), but I am not going to give in to this thing and let it dictate what kind of life I will live – this is my decision alone!

I have certainly gone through my struggles coming to terms with this and still do from time to time, but I mostly just feel grateful and try to make each day count as much as possible. I wrote this poem a few days ago and thought it may help inspire someone who may be feeling down and struggling.

Passin Thru

The doctor called the other day,
Seems the cancer is here to stay

Is this a joke, it just can't be
This happens to other people, not to me

Gotta catch my breath and look around,
The things that mattered suddenly don't seem so profound

Seems I have some inner reflection to do
This thing can take me down or it can make my life renewed

See, it's not going to take away who I am,
It's not going to define me as a sick man

My life has way more purpose and hope,
Even if it's short lived I'm not going to mope

I'm going to grab what's left by the horns,
And make it matter, I'm not going to mourn

See, it's up to me what I do,
I see the glass half full and so can you

We feel eternity applies to us all,
But we are all just passing through, don't miss your call

If your down and feeling sad,
Look this cancer in the eye and get mad

Even though I am just passing through,
You can't have my soul AND my body too

I will decide when it's time,
But not before I give and receive all the love that is mine

Because this is truly what it's all about,
Not some object or thing I highly doubt

Even though I am just passing through,
I will leave my mark by the everlasting memories and smiles through you!