Can't Run Away

Jasmine was a beautiful girl of 12. She had long, blonde hair, and lots of friends. She was the school's golden girl. She was admired for being intelligent, confident, and well-rounded. She was seen as the girl with the perfect life. This was far from true. Her mother was depressed, her dad was killed a year ago in a car wreck caused by a drunk driver, and she never felt completely happy. She hid all this because she wanted to remain her school's golden girl. Something is about to happen that she can't run from and it will bring her farther away from her school's golden girl image.

It starts one day while she was at school with her friends. She hadn't been feeling like herself for a few months and lately she has been feeling worse than she has ever felt with any cold or flu. She was throwing up, feeling weak, and she was often dizzy and faint. But one day, she was in her math class when all of a sudden she got a familiar feeling. Her head started spinning and the numbers on the board were running together and to top it off; she felt like she was going to throw up. The next thing she knew the room was black. It was scary because she didn't know if she would wake up.

She, finally, came to with people surrounding her and a lot of noise. She felt very confused and tried to talk but her neck felt more swollen then it was before. There were 2 people in blue calling her name and putting a brace on her neck and slowly lifting her on to a bed. She was loaded into the back of an ambulance and then she was rushed to the hospital. It went very fast and she was very scared. She wasn't the golden girl anymore. She was sick; a subject for negative attention. She caused a fuss and she was treated as though she was seriously hurt or sick. "It's just dehydration or low blood sugar." she thought.

Once she got to the hospital nurses and doctors surrounded her bed and started sticking her with needles and looking over her. She cried and tried to hit them. One nurse was particularly nice. Jasmine could tell she didn't belong with this team. She acted out of place and kind of confused about the set up and routine of this floor. Her name tag read "Selina Howard; Head R.N.; Pediatric Oncology" Jasmine now knew that she wasn't in the right department. She was in the Pediatric Urgent Care department. The nurse smiled at her and said “This might seem confusing, but I will try to explain everything.” Jasmine cried and rejected her kindness. She hated everyone in the room. Selina had been the nicest nurse so far, but Jasmine was way too upset to realize she would depend on Selina to guide her and be one of the only nurses who stayed by her side the whole time. Jasmine let her stirring mind run blank as another doctor asked her "How long has this been going on?"When Jasmine answered her and they all left her alone while they waited for the results. Her mother came rushing in crying and in a panic. She rushed to her side and grabbed her hand reassuring her. It was all really scary and she wanted to know what was wrong. The doctor asked her mom to take a walk with her. After they left she began to cry. It must be really bad. After 15 minutes alone crying, her mom entered the room hysterical. She quietly said "You have cancer, Jasmine". She began to cry hysterically with her mom. The doctor came in and took her to a new room. This was a doctor's office, she could tell.

She was allowed out of the wheelchair to sit like a normal patient in the office. Her mom signed her in and she sat crying. A nurse she recognized as Selina from the Urgent Care Center came and led them to a room that looked like an operating room. It was bright and scary. This must be the Pediatric Oncology floor where she works because everybody here seems to know and like her. Selina was very hesitant when explaining to Jasmine that she was having a bone marrow biopsy, which would hurt and require a rather large needle.

Selina was trying to hide her feelings of anxiety. She would be introducing Jasmine to a scary world of needles, fear, and constant pain. She didn’t know what to say to make it all better. She felt terrible. She didn’t know that she could relax and be herself. She had a rare gift most nurses didn’t have. She could be herself and it would be absolutely perfect. After all everyone she met liked her. Jasmine heard a child next door screaming “NO NEEDLES, OW, OW NO!!!!” She started to cry and was feeling more and more fearful by the minute because she has always been terrified by needles. Selina looked worried. She was worried that Jasmine would be hard to deal with around needles. Selina looked down at her trembling hands. She was shaken out of her anxiety by a sound in the other corner of the room. The doctor had just walked in. Selina introduced her as Dr. Baker, Doctor of Oncology. She seemed nice, but Jasmine was sure she would hate what was next.