'Oddly Specific' and Other Poems About Life With Cancer

I am an author and poet. My husband has gone through several health crises since he had COVID-19 in 2020: a stroke in 2022 caused by undiagnosed diabetes, and just as he regained full footing and beat both, 2023 started with a routine colonoscopy and diagnosis stage 4 colon cancer, with several small spots on the liver.

He is through two rounds of treatment, the first with immunotherapy. He is under the care of Cleveland Clinic, and is due for another MRI, with surgery to follow.

Theodore, (Ted), or as loved ones call him, “Bear,” was so surprised by this as he was always athletic, healthy and never sick until COVID. The love of my life played flag football on a team with our sons until 2020 shut everything down.

His mental health is great, he insists he is fine and will get through this fine. He continued to bowl on his league and stayed in his position as tournament director for what we believe is the oldest remaining Brothers Bowling Tournament in the US.

It is an odd sense of pride for him as the cancer center nurses continue to be surprised by his strong resolve, and seemingly lack of side effects. I can see him struggle a bit cognitively, but he is still sharper than me on any given day.

I have attempted to document this journey, and as a poet, the poems just came about.

Below are a series of poems written about our ordeal with cancer and kicking it to the curb.

FIRST WORDS

First words

after the diagnosis

Spoken into the air

like a ravaging windstorm

Callous

and clarifying

Cancer:

Stage four

IN THE MIDST

Our lives

were content

and full

I had retired

His date

was approaching

We are

Blessed

with loads of love

and large family

Dreaming

of travel

And then

cancer crept in

to the midst

of our life,

with plans

of its own

Little did it know

who it had

chosen

to mess with

A couple

blessed with

prayer warriors

and medical

professionals

We got this

ODDLY SPECIFIC

A healthy husband

stumbled by a stroke

Transformed

by diabetes

and brutally attacked

by cancer

Biting deep teeth

into his colon

Splatters

of speckled

cancer

stippling liver

visible on scans

and still he

marched on

Through thick

and thin

Chemotherapy

Immunotherapy

Steroids and

topped off

with anti-nausea

medication

It's oddly

specific

and working terrific

The cure is bitter

and a battle

that tried

to rattle our resolve

But, cancer never met

Bear and Thasia

RABBIT HOLE

Since

contracting COVID

There has been

a myriad

of symptoms

and diagnosis

Unexplained

high fevers

come and go

A stroke

Undiagnosed

diabetes

Overcome

And then

stage four

colon cancer

Treatments

side effects

We continue

down this

rabbit hole

I swear

good healthis at the bottom

SHAGGY

Recovery from

the stroke

Blood thinners

Can't shave

with a real razor

Electric is safer

Showers difficult

feeling unsteady

Getting better,

stronger,

almost ready

for normal

about to leave

the shaggy look

behind

WALTZING IN 4/4 TIME

Life is a dance

and thank God

I finally found

my perfect partner

fourteen years ago

Always busy

we Tango tough

Thursdays we Cha Cha

for our date night dinners

When needed

we can Polka

or Hokey Pokey

Throughout the day

we often like

to Macarena play

Now that

our age is

creeping in

it is Waltzing

in 4/4 time

we find devine

Waltzing in

4 for time

This post was written and submitted by Thasia Anne. The article reflects the views of Thasia Anne and not of CURE®. This is also not supposed to be intended as medical advice.

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