Article

Cancer on My Mind: A Garden Story

Signs of worry and hope as seasons slowly change

Timid comes the spring, sighing with unease,

Longer days warm the soil another few degrees.

Daffodils arise, renouncing my disease.

Sensing signs of hope, a rose nearby perceives

Like me, it's unprotected, beset by inner thieves.

Begged for intervention, I kneel and roll my sleeves.

Reaching under branches, my hand and glove are torn.

Tiny drops of blood reveal a sharp, tenacious thorn.

Intersecting planes of experience conform.

Pausing in the moment, an introspective one,

I review the basics needing to be done:

Fertilize and prune, re-energize with sun.

Staring down my cancer, I ponder what's ahead.

Fully radiated, trimmed, and chemically re-fed,

Will I savor summer's warmth, escape the winter's dread?

Newsletter

Stay up to date on cancer updates, research and education

Related Videos
Daniel Jernazian, who beat cancer twice, credits his sports mindset for survival and calls it winning his ‘life World Championship’.
Patients in rural or underserved areas may have worse outcomes, highlighting the need for early support to address care access barriers.
Image of man with text.
Image of doctor with text.
Dr. Emre Yekedüz discusses how ASCO 2025 highlights precision medicine, biomarkers and the gut microbiome as keys to advancing kidney cancer care.
Dr. Breelyn Wilky stresses the importance of expert guidance and second opinions for patients with GIST, as treatment options continue to evolve rapidly.
Mark Daniels, 83, credits CAR T-cell therapy and compassionate care for helping him overcome lymphoma and endure the isolating treatment toll.
An early study of BGB-16673 for hard-to-treat leukemia found that side effects were manageable with no new safety concerns.
Image of woman with text.
Image of goy, and text.
Related Content