“One day,” you said to me, “I saw the sunset forty-four times!” And a little later you added: “You know—one loves the sunset, when one is so sad…” “Were you so sad, then?” I asked, “on the day of the forty-four sunsets?” But the little prince made no reply.” ― Antoine de Saint Exupery, The […]
Tag: childhood cancer
Caregivers
When Dr. McCoy first saw something concerning in Alex’s X-rays, he sent her to see an oncologist. He gave her a name and address. All we knew was the office was somewhere in Baltimore. I drove to College Park to pick up Alex. About 40 minutes later, we pulled up to the University of Maryland […]
Doctors
We met a lot of people in the medical profession during Alex’s illness—not just doctors and nurses, but all sorts of people attached to the process who I never thought about before. Most were awesome people—selfless and caring. Some were not. All of them taught me lessons about the reality of today’s medical profession. When […]
The Funny, The Scary, and the Heartbreaking
There is nothing funny about cancer, but there was one moment during Alex’s treatment that made me laugh. When Alex was in the hospital, either her mother or I was always with her. I was usually on the night shift. One night in May 2016, I photographed a baseball game in Frederick, MD. Afterward, I […]
The Story of a Girl
From a journal Alex began after her cancer diagnosis. Cancer. What is the first thing you think of when you hear this word that provokes so many reactions? Maybe you have known and loved an individual who battled this disease. Maybe you have been diagnosed yourself and are looking for insight into another individual’s life […]
The Wake Up Call
Shortly after being diagnosed with Ewing’s Sarcoma, Alex started a journal. Her mother found it on Alex’s computer shortly after Alex passed away. There were only a few entries. Here’s how she described her introduction to cancer. The Wake Up Call It was very early in the morning, before sunrise, when I awoke; one of […]
Keep Moving Forward
“Let me tell you something you already know.” “The world ain’t all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life.” “But it ain’t how […]
The First Mile
I sat down at my computer on September 1, 2022 and saw a Facebook post from Alex’s doctor. It had been more than three years since Alex passed away, but I stayed in touch. Alex admired her. So did I. She was brilliant, kind and deeply committed to her patients. I could see how much […]
Childhood Cancer Awareness: What I Didn’t Know
Today marks the beginning of Childhood Cancer Awareness month. For me, awareness isn’t about the fact that childhood cancer exists. We all know that—and we are all horrified by it. Childhood Cancer Awareness Month is more about the facts surrounding childhood cancer—things that, even as Alex was battling Ewing’s Sarcoma, I still didn’t know. Let’s […]
Agent of Change
When Alex returned from Florida, it only took a few days before her pain became uncontrollable. She was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital for what would become an extended stay. The pediatric oncology floor had strict rules to protect patients. At the top of the list—no animals. After a lot of pushing—and more than a […]