The Good Cancer

Did Someone Die?

The entire week after I had surgery, people brought me gifts. Some people brought food, others brought stuffed animals, and others brought random things I don't even really remember. It was like someone died. That is the only other time I have seen so many people bring so much food and other gifts because they aren't quite sure what else to do. They want to help and food is a language everyone understands.

In addition to food and gifts, I got letters...lots of letters. Most of them were actually from people I didn't even know. My grandparents' church were active in their prayer lives and continuously took prayer requests. My grandmother mentioned she had a granddaughter battling cancer and not only did they pray, but they wrote letters to let me know they were praying filled with encouraging messages and Bible verses. On some level it was comforting and on another it was overwhelming.

My favorite gift of all was a small package that arrived a few days after my surgery. The return address was my middle school. I was definitely confused when I saw that. It was quite a thick package. What in the world could it be? I'm not the best at opening packages, so I ripped it open and a ton of cards spilled out onto the couch. They were all homemade. My English teacher had everyone in the class make me a card. I was so touched I didn't know what to do.

There were cards from students I didn't even really know or associate with. They were all positive. Obviously, some were more...creative than others, but I appreciate them all. I even appreciated the one that was about a snake and was anonymous. It meant that on some level they cared. Even if my teacher made it a grade, it didn't matter. It was nice to know they were thinking of me and wishing me well.

The food and gifts subsided after the first week home. However, I stayed out of school for a total of two weeks. Although the pain from surgery no longer lingered, I was still quite tired all of the time and I had a lot of homework to catch up on before returning. When I did return, I was flooded with questions. Sometimes it was too much and I wish I could've stayed home for the remainder of the year and start fresh in high school.

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