“So, how are you feeling today?” Doctor asked Samantha as she examined her breathing patterns.
“Um… pretty much the same as I have for the past month. Overtired, bad balance, blurry vision, occasional headaches, loss of breathe, umm…” Sam replied.
“Ok, I have a few things you and your mom should know. One is that we can not remove the cancerous tissue surgically because it is outlining your lung. The only way then to try to eliminate the cancer is by chemotherapy or radiation,” The doctor explained.
“There are not other options?” Sam asked.
“No, it’s either get the treatment or live with the cancer. If you do not take the treatments I will have no estimate to how long you will live. I strongly advise that you have these treatments done so we can at least try. And remember we are not 100 % sure we can remove it all with the treatments. But we will never know unless we try,” the doctor informed them.
“I wanna have the treatments done if we can afford it,” Sam said looking at her mom questionably.
“We will do anything doctor, no matter the price.” Her mom said to the doctor but looking at her daughter.
“OK, well we are going to have to refer you to a clinic in Florida because we do not have the right facilities here in Maryland. Florida is the best place, in my experience for these treatments. They have special clinics to treat patients going through the same thing as you. It’s your best bet,” the doctor started rambling.
“I guess we can work it out. Samantha does have an aunt who lives in Florida, maybe we could arrange for her to stay there for the summer to get the treatments,” Sam’s mom said. Sam went into a daze. She had just remembered that she would me in the same state as the men she had been obsessing over for over two years. But quickly burst her own bubble by admitting it was a slim chance they would meet at all.
“Well I talked to the clinics and they said you can start treatments the last week in June. Is that ok with you?” Doctor Sinclair asked.
“I think so, but we will get back to you,” Mrs. Brown said opening the door to the waiting room of the office.
* * *
Samantha opened the door to her and her mother’s apartment to the beeping of their answering machine. She pushed play as she flopped down on the big overstuffed chair in the living room.
“I Sam, it’s me,” a familiar voice said. “I was wondering how you were doing. You haven’t been in school the past couple days and I am getting worried. Well please give me a call back anytime. Luv ya, bye.”
The familiar voice was that of her best friend Megan. They had only been friends for two year but they felt like they had known each other all their lives. They were closer than most sisters were and talked on a daily basis. The past few days were such a blur to Samantha she didn’t realize she had neglected to call her best friend. “I better call her,” She said to herself as she picked up the portable phone.
“Hello?” Meg said.
“Hey girl, It’s me,” Sam said.
“Hey Sam, I guess you got my message,” Meg replied.
“Yea I just got back from the doctors,” Sam said.
“What’s wrong? Are you ok?” Meg asked.
“Well I wish I could say I am fine. The doctor called my mom last night and told her I have cancer,” Sam said nervously awaiting Megan’s reply.
“Omigosh, umm…” Meg said astonished by the news.
“I would have called sooner but it’s been such a world wind, it slipped my mind,” Sam apologized.
“It’s ok, I understand,” that’s all Meg could get out. There was a long pause, much like the one between Sam and her mother the night before.
“Umm…can I call you back,” Meg finally blurted out.
“Sure,” Sam said confused and hung up the phone.
Megs dropped the phone in the cradle and ran to her room crying. She felt so betrayed by God. Megan’s mom had just passed away a little over a year before this heartbreaking news. Megs tilted her head to the ceiling and started yelling, “How could you do this to me? Why do you keep taking away people that I love.” She then realized that Samantha was not gone yet and maybe there was hope to get rid of the cancer. She was too quick to assume that she was days from dying. She needed to call Sam back and get all the details.