Short Stories Collection

9. Golden Christmas (Christmas Short Story)

Do you believe in miracles, especially Christmas ones?

Noelle has a rare type of cancer for which there is a very small chance of survival. She has spent many years of her childhood in and out of the hospital with many different difficult procedures and treatments. After many rounds and other different treatments over the years, she only wanted two things: to beat cancer for good and to have her very own puppy.

Noelle gets to have one magical Christmas wish to help lift her spirit and have something to help her with her fight against cancer. Every year, Noelle's Christmas wish is the one thing she always wanted, and hopefully this Christmas she can finally have her magical Christmas wish.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Cancer...

The big scary word that no one talks about, especially when it comes out of nowhere in the blink of an eye, is "cancer." It is the type of cancer where you either have a good or bad chance of survival, which depends on the treatment, the stage, or even how soon you find out.

I didn't have many friends while growing up because no one wanted to be friends with the "sick girl with cancer." People were always afraid to hurt my feelings, think I was going to break like a twig, or even send me to the hospital if I even played a simple childhood game like tag. I know the feeling of being alone, especially after spending many nights in a hospital bed with many different machines hooked up to me through many tubes instead of my skin.

No one really tells you about cancer. In fact, people just think that if you get cancer, you will die, but there are some people who actually survive by having the right amount of treatment that their bodies can handle. For me, I had about six rounds of chemotherapy, and every single round I thought it was the end. I just happened to be hit with luck, especially because my cancer type is state 4, and everyone knows that is the worst type of cancer to have, especially as a child.

Every year, I raise money to help get enough for a puppy, but not just any puppy. My favorite type of puppy is the cute and fluffy golden retriever. Why, you might ask, because I am a huge fan of the Air Bud movie series, which always cheers me up and puts a big smile on my face. When I have to stay in the hospital for long treatments, surgery, or even a procedure, I always bring my buddy movies. Sometimes some of the hospital staff comes to my room, and we watch one or two movies while eating popcorn and trying to make the moment stress-free, especially knowing I could die at any moment. These moments are very special for my care team, family, or even friends because I will soon have time to spend with anyone.

Once a year, I always have to spend a month in the hospital for treatment with chemotherapy to help shrink the tumor in my head, and this year I get to spend my Christmas in the hospital. I'm glad I can spread some cheer around the children's intensive care unit, but I definitely miss being home and in my own bed. But I get to spend lots of time in the hospital bed and the room where I always end up being placed.

I woke up feeling hot and sweaty, to the point where I soaked my bed sheets with sweat and felt like I was going to puke when I moved an inch. I knew something was happening, to the point where I knew I would be making a trip to the hospital. I reached over to my bedside table and pressed the alarm button, which is for emergencies and to alert my mom that something is wrong. As soon as I pressed it, the alarm made a loud beep sound, and I immediately saw my mom running into my room with a worried look on her face and saying...

"I'm here, honey." Take it easy. "And you're feeling really hot, like you have a bad fever." We'd better go into the hospital and get checked out, especially since we just had a round of treatment last week. "I'm calling the hospital right now," my mom said with fear in her voice, knowing