Poetry By Cancer Caregivers

The world of poetry is a means of expression and source of comfort for many who care for cancer patients. We welcome submissions from oncologists, oncology nurses, oncology pharmacists, and other cancer caregivers. E-mail only, please, to: [e-mail], and include your affiliation/title, address, and phone number.

Figure. This poem is...

HOPE

From the moment I had cancer

I felt that it was fate

I should help others like me

I began to contemplate

In my senior year of high-school

At seventeen years of age

Diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease

A battle with cancer I would wage

And when it was over

I felt Life so much more

And appreciated every moment

And couldn't wait for what's in store

From premed in college

In med school and residency too

I thought of becoming an oncologist

And now my dreams are coming true

When I care for patients

I listen to their fear

And their courage and their hope

I'm there to lend an ear

I understand full well

They deserve dignity and respect

They're not just a statistic

Their concerns I'll never neglect

So I saw a patient once

Who had recently been told

That he would probably need

To put his dreams on hold

He had just been diagnosed

With Hodgkin's disease I might add

He was very quiet and stoic

An intelligent, handsome lad

But I went to speak to him

As a patient more than a doc

I visited his hospital room

To have a heart-to-heart talk

I primarily discussed with him

What my doctor had told me:

Live life to the fullest

And live it normally

Live your life as if

The cancer's not around

Live as normally as you can

As if it was never found

Don't allow it to diminish

Your dreams and your hope

Your normal routine

Will definitely help you cope

It's been a few months now

But I hear he's doing great

Attending school as well

His care has been first-rate

I hope he will be cured

As it is too soon to say

But I think I gave him hope

On that far-away day

So whether what they have

Is an early or advanced stage

Give them hope regardless

As I learned once from a sage

And the next time you see

A new patient with cancer

When they ask if there is hope

Now you know the answer