Women Emerging Courageous - Stories A true story It had been four weeks since her very first routine mammogram, and once the results were in the doctor's receptionist called immediately, telling her they were scheduling an out-patient biopsy for her. Sitting in the office now she almost knew exactly what the doctor would have to say to her, and how he would try to paint the most optimistic picture, but she would only hear the negative side of it all. He would more than likely tell her that because they caught it early, and because of such advanced surgical techniques and a combination of chemo and radiation, that she would surely recover. She would become one of the many cancer survivors alive today, although to her it would only mean she'd be in remission until the they found questionable cells in some other part of her body. That next time around could be as little as five years away or as long as ten years away, but it would come back, and this time with a vengeance, and the whole process would have to start all over again. This time the surgery would be that much harder on her, and the chemo and radiation would take all of the fight out of her, and her only salvation would be the pain pills that would bring her sleep now and then. Friends and family would tell her how good she still looked, trying to keep her spirits up, but she would see in the mirror how pale she was, and the dark circles under her eyes would tell the rest of the story. Her strength waning, she would succumb to the disease this time around, and rather than surviving she would be counting the days until the whole ordeal was over and she could finally let go. Deep in thought, she was caught off guard when the door opened and the doctor came into the room, after seeing the last of his patients and responding to a few emergency phone calls. She wasn't sure she even wanted to look up at him, but as she did she saw he had a folder in his hands, which no doubt was a copy of the results from the lab, and she would soon hear the bad news. Much to her surprise, the doctor was looking over the rim of his glasses with the biggest smile on his face, and what he was about to tell her shocked her even more than she could have imagined. He said the biopsy came back completely negative, and while he would want to keep an eye on what appeared to only be fibrous tissue, things looked really good and he was pleased with this news. Aware that tears were streaming down her face, it dawned on her that there really was something to be thankful for, and she realized that this gave her another chance to make a difference in this world. Epilogue: To this day I still think about that first mammogram and how I was so ready to give up on life, and I am so glad I am still here, and in my own small way I do try to make a difference every chance I get! © Dori-The-Dreamer 2004 [email protected] Home | New Stories | Story Archive | New Poetry | Poetry Archive | Quotes | Affirmations | Nourish Your Soul | Tribute To America | My Journey | Newsletters | You Like Me | Submit Your Work |