Love for cancer.

“All cancers are alike but they are alike in a unique way.”

― Siddhartha Mukherjee

A truth that can never be denied.  It is called the 'Emperor of Maladies,' and rightly so. You never know where it will attack and how. It is different for each individual, so also the pains. All those have gone through the journey with the creeping crab will have a different story to narrate of pain, perseverance, resilience and victories. Every one respond differently to cancer, its pains and the treatments. 

The creeping crab once it attacks, it makes you realize the beauty of life and the joy of living every moment. It inspires you to find a meaning in your life and the magical moments, like a butterfly. You start understanding the soul of every tree, flower, falling leaves and everything around you. Every moment of life is etched in your heart and soul. 

Though the pain it gives is endless like the vast sky and the ocean, it makes you value every microsecond of your life. Is it the same for all who were attacked by this loving monster? The answer is a big 'NO' as the effects and aftereffects depends on the body of each individual and how you fight it out. Some just give in to the monster knowing that it is an endless fight for life. 

It is an awareness  which it makes you wake up to, that beauty is not physical, but the inner power and strength you have radiating a positive glow on your face. In this whole process it is an understanding that takes you forward. Any kind of stress can trigger it again.  When you go through the trauma of bilateral triple negative cancer and its long term after effects, you fall in love with the pain it gives you daily because that makes you realize you are alive and still capable of feeling it. They say there is no magic pill for the long term after effects of cancer treatment except exercise and good nutritional food to keep up the quality of life. Then as they say, 'It is all in the mind how you deal with it'. It is a daily fight and that keeps you going with a smile, joy in the heart and a bounce in your step. 

Cancer invades uninvited and unwanted,

An intruder in my body,

Waiting to claim me,

A complete stranger though,

Weaves a web of intricate pain. 

Like tsunami my chemo,

Unleashes its power, 

In each of its cycles,

Leaving me in a hazy maze,

Of its long after-effects.

I enter the battlefield in fury,

The scans and labs a learning step,

To score a goal against the monster,

Finding the essence of my life,

In my inner sanctum.