Poems

"Stay strong," they told me

"stay strong," they told me when the doctor said I had scoliosis
"stay strong," they told me when I had constant back pain that made me want to throw up
"stay strong," they told me when I was thirteen and decided to get a major surgery to fix my back
"stay strong," they told me when we woke up at 3 am to drive to the hospital in New York
"stay strong," they told me when I fell asleep with an IV in my arm
"stay strong," they told me when I woke up to the worst pain I have ever felt
"stay strong," they told me when they took me off painkillers and gave me Tylenol two days after the surgery
"stay strong," they told me when it hurt too bad to cry from the pain
"stay strong," they told me when I threw up multiple times hours after I woke up throwing up because I had SMA syndrome
"stay strong," they told me when the only thing I looked forward to each day was apple juice and ice chips
"stay strong," they told me when I couldn't eat anything without throwing it up an hour later
"stay strong," they told me when through the whole time in New York, the only people ever in the room were the nurse, my mom, and me
"stay strong," they told me when we had to come back to the hospital after I was released because I wouldn't stop throwing up
"stay strong," they told me when we had to fly back home to Texas Children's Hospital, praying I wouldn't throw up on the airplane
"stay strong," they told me when my family missed Halloween to be at the hospital with me
"stay strong," they told me when it took over ten times to get the IV in my arm because I was so dehydrated from throwing up
"stay strong," they told me when I had to get a tube down my nose into my intestines so my body could finally get nutrients
"stay strong," they told me when I got to see my friends after what felt like a year, but was only two weeks
"stay strong," they told me when I was finally able to go home
"stay strong," they told me when I couldn't walk across our living room without almost passing out
"stay strong," they told me when my sister pushed me in a wheelchair through Barnes & Noble and Michael's
"stay strong," they told me when I sat at the table Thanksgiving Day, watching others eat, not being able to eat
"stay strong," they told me when I was cleared to dance with the tube still in my nose
"stay strong," they told me when I wanted to quit because all my muscles were gone from laying in a hospital for two weeks
"stay strong," they told me when I went to my mom during dance class and cried because my body was useless
"stay strong," they told me when I got to go back to school and walked arm in arm with my best friend to lunch
"stay strong," they told me when I enjoyed smelling other people's food because I couldn't eat anything
"stay strong," they told me when I got the tube out of my nose, just days before Christmas
"stay strong," they told me when I cried because I got to eat mashed potatoes
"stay strong," they told me when I had to go and get an X-ray and my back was almost completely straight
"stay strong," they told me when I watched my ballet studio perform the Nutcracker for the first time in a long time and cried because I missed performing with them
"stay strong," they told me when I was accepted into my studio's company as a trainee
"stay strong," they told me when I had been back to dance for half a year and I was still asked if I had gone back to dance yet
"stay strong," they told me when everyone thought I still had the weakest muscles and couldn't do anything
"stay strong," they told me when I went to a convention and almost threw up because of the pain in my back from walking around, even with taking breaks
"stay strong," they told me when I couldn't lift my leg to the back above 90 degrees
"you are the strongest person I have ever met," they say when I tell them I wouldn't change a thing and even go through it again with how much it helped me help others get through hard times