CHAPTER 1
When I was little, I had questioned myself about life, what is life?, what does life offer?, of what account is life?. There was a great man once who said "I love those that know not how to live today". Life is like a book, some chapters are sad, some happy and some exciting. But if you never turn the page, you will never know what the next chapter holds. Life is what happens when you are busy making other plans. My hope began to fade the moment water filled my lungs, I was taken to the hospital and they found it, an oncologist said I had terminal cancer, I'm thyroid originally but I have satellite colony in my lungs, I have a tube in my nose which helps me breathe. Everyday, every seconds worse than the other, the hospital had become my best friend, most times i just stop breathing, it's actually unbearable, my Dad bought me a journal to write down my feelings rather than hurting myself, my mum recommended that i join the support group but i refused because I'm not good with people,you know at their last moment,people show you who they really are. It's crazy how no one in this world is perfect yet everyone is so judgmental. I know that one day, I'm gonna die.Cancer is a journey, not a destination. It is a path to self discovery, growth and transformation. You don't have cancer, cancer has you, but you can take it back.
CHAPTER 2
Cancer is a word not a sentence. Without money, you'll realize how fast love turns to disrespect. When you are broke, even your opinion is like a broken pencil - pointless and it doesn't sound right. Money doesn't buy love, but it buys freedom, and freedom attracts real love. Anyone who thinks the purpose of business is only profit is like saying the purpose of life is just to survive. There's a quote in front of my family house that says " Don't give life a chance because life doesn't give chances". Like all life stories, mine is complicated, I had no friends because I had cancer. Apparently, when you treat people like they treat you, they get upset . I am Caitlyn Morán, my Dad had leukemia which caused his death, I was eight then, I felt like the world turned their back at me when my dad died, he understands me better than my mum,my mum got married to a rich politician named Williams Dawnton, i wasn't in support of that but i want her to be happy,my mum runs a health-care centre but she was most times maltreated and beaten by Williams, despite the fact that she has a good heart, by the way, there's a quote that says " No matter how good you are, if you are in the wrong place, you are worthless ". I just turned 18 years old, i love helping people, I went around looking for a job but no company wanted to employ me because I was a cancer patient, people discriminated me and made fun of me but I didn't let that weigh me down. My mum decided that I get married but I don't want to be a burden to anyone, I wasn't allowed to make decisions for myself, whenever I try to explain what I go through in life, people don't understand me. Since I refused to bring home a suitor, my mum set up a blind date for me to meet three young men, I disliked the idea but I wanted my mum to be happy.
CHAPTER 3
One of the three young men was Simon Walters, who's father was one of Williams board of directors, the other was Adam Van Dyke, who's father was a drug Baron while Adam was a drug dealer and a business man, lastly was Nick Travis, he is the manager of the Travis law firm, he is known as the youngest manager of all firms, I once had a crush on him but as they say," you can't pour from an empty cup, so take care of yourself first ". I went on the blind date, I was nervous at first but I calmed myself, immediately Simon saw me, he stood up and left, Adam made fun of me and he said that he would never marry a cancer patient, I cried my eyes out, I went home, I packed my bags and I ran away from home, things were unbearable for me. I moved into an old apartment downtown, I never went on a blind date with Nick Travis. I started working in a cybercafe, I worked hard and I was being paid more than other workers because I was a cancer patient. Things went back to normal until the news got to me that my mum and Williams were shot by some serial killers who invaded our home but my mum died while Williams was in the hospital responding to treatments, I cried, I wanted him to die like my mum died, I attended her funeral. After my mum's funeral, I met Nick Travis at my mum's grave side, he smiled when he saw me, he took me to his home and we spoke, then I apologized for not showing up for the blind date but he didn't say a word, I told him that I had cancer, he said to me " listen, it doesn't matter, so long as you don't let anyone into your mind. Keep your mind, keep it free and keep it your own. Don't let anyone help you inside, don't let anyone tell you what you must think. Don't let anyone tell you what you must feel". At that moment, I knew that Nick was different from other guys.
CHAPTER 4
I figured out that Nick had a touch of cancer when he was 16 and now he has osteosarcoma, he never detested me, he took care of me and he secured a job for me in the Travis law firm. I moved in to Nick's house and we lived together happily. I fell in love with Nick Travis the way you fall asleep, I became a good lawyer and I got pregnant for Nick. We tied the knots then the unpredictable happened, the night before our wedding, I saw Nick talking to Williams, I was surprised, Nick was upset then Williams left laughing wickedly. Nick lit a cigarette out of frustration and then he screamed, an ambulance was called, I wasn't allowed to see him because his mother thought that I made him lit the cigarette, I went to our room and I laid on the bed crying, Nick was taken to the hospital, he struggled for breath before he went unconscious and he died. When the news got to me, I cried my eyes out, that same day, Williams was shot again. I packed my bags and I drove out of town, I decided to give up on everything, nobody wanted me. I really loved Nick Travis, I wasn't present during his funeral but I watched it on the news. The only thing that kept me moving was the baby I had in my womb, only Nick and I knew about it. Oh Nick, death doesn't care about one's feelings. " The glass is either full or half empty. It's up to you to choose". Few months later, I gave birth to a baby girl and I named her Nicole. I don't think I have a future because " The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams, of what account are dreams?, of what account is life?, None. But who made it so?, those who cannot dream, No, those who can only dream ". "Ubi amor, ibi dolor - where there's love, there's pain".
CHAPTER 5
People rejected me because I had cancer, yes, I was diagnosed with cancer, but I refused to be defined by it. I chose to live, to thrive and to inspire. Cancer taught me to appreciate life, to cherish every moment, and to never give up. The meaning of life is not found in it's end but in it's endless journey, it's infinite possibilities and it's eternal mystery.
God, I want more days for Nick Travis than what he got, Nick died out of the cancer caused by him. In the grand cycle of life, every end marks a new beginning, and every cell carries the spark of life, forever renewing, forever thriving. This is not the end of my story,No, my story just begun, one bad end of a story doesn't mean that your story is over, just turn to the next page. There's nothing but a world in which we all live in. To breathe for once that air, to move in it, to hear my own voice on waves that touch no ugliness, no pain... but "pain demands to be felt", pain is inevitable but suffering is optional. In life, "people who use kindness as some sort of weapon. I think it's worse than poison gas. It gets in deeper, it hurts more and there's no gas mask to wear against it. Because people would say that you're wicked to want such a mask. We're all monsters, we just hide behind masks. We don't mature with years, we mature with damage. "When you have a heart of gold and pure intention, you don't lose anyone - they lose you ". And that hit differently. The origin of life is a mystery, but one thing is certain, life arises from life, and every cell is born from a preceding cell. In the realm of life, every cell is a statement to the power of creation, and every spark a reminder of the infinite potential within. There is nothing like an ending in my story because life is an endless, unfolding, a never ending story, a journey without a final destination _ Omnis Cellula e Cellula - life comes from life.
THE END
WRITTEN BY:Khloe Smith
YEAR: 2025
REASON: To Inspire Cancer patients