A poem about my journey

             The Snake

Slithering in and out, sure not to miss any grooves

Spewing its poison over every particle it touches

Starting at the top, squeezing out the good as it moves

Its fangs cut deep into every one of my parts

I bleed its poison out of every single pore

It feeds on my blood, gaining strength and smarts

It wears me down, continuing to grow in length

Never taking a breath or a pause as it feeds

Obliterating my body, all the while gaining strength

The doctor explains my body is a bit broken

I have to go to a hospital, all my blood levels are down

On the drive there, our deepest worries go unspoken

Once there, I am told I have to go for a special test

I have no idea that this will be the first of many

Being tired is a constant, no matter how much I rest

Eventually my illium will look like swiss cheese

Hospital stays will become the new norm for me

No matter what is tried, the poison will not cease

Treatments will be given to combat the beast

More and more tests will show the beast is bigger

No matter what medicine is given, it would feast

I am so tired and feel I cannot take anymore

The doctor tells us the medicine is not working

A new treatment would be needed, he was sure

There are talks about something to change its course

This treatment will be difficult and hard on me

I am afraid and nervous, scared of its force

The doctor explains the bone marrow transplant

And I am given a book I need to read

Where I learn about everything I must supplant

I will be given chemo to kill off all my cells

There are many side effects I should watch for

All of this chemo to clean out my system, to expel

It is almost like my body is back to day one

When everything is new and life will begin

The new cells will be tranplanted when it is all done

So much to learn about this…we tried to understand

But so much of it seemed like such weird science

We are educated on the process and all that is planned

The day comes for the procedure and I am afraid

What if this doesn’t work…what will we do?

The doctor reassures us and final dates are made

Leading up to the procedure, I pray every day

For the doctors and nurses to give the best care

For my family and I…that we may all be okay

All my cells are killed off to make room for the new

The transplant is done and a new fight has begun

It is time to fight for my body and a new life too

The fight continues, growing easier each day

The hardest part now is the many pills I take

I pray each day everything gets easier in every way

I grow stronger, in faith, spirit, and mind

I share my journey, in hopes I may help others

If nothing else, it helps me to begin to find

My way in this life that is forever altered

I will fight each day for a life well-lived

And in my fight, my strength has not faultered

Each day gets easier, for my family and me

As my family and I navigate this new reality

Only God knows what my journey will be