Courage Beyond Measure

Eat, Sleep, Fight Brain Cancer, Repeat

   

September 24, 2017- a life changing day,

Confusion and disorientation increased in a startling way,

Memory loss too, became a big concern,

A trip to the ER was necessary, to see what they’d discern,

One year ago, today, the diagnosis was made clear,

Early onset Alzheimer’s had been our worse fear,

But a cancerous brain tumor, considered terminal, was the finding,

It was like a tightly coiled spring quickly unwinding,

We weren’t prepared for it, but the prognosis was revealed,

We were willing to fight though; our fate was not sealed,

The next nine months after that day seems like a blur,

My otherwise healthy husband?  How could this occur?

The determination to survive was top priority,

We took our treatment plan from the top-notch authority,

Surgery was performed by the best brain surgeon on the east coast,

My husband was proud of that fact and would often times boast,

Radiation and chemotherapy, courage and hope,

We hung on tightly, even at the end of our rope,

The conventional treatment was not successful,

But my husband stayed incredibly peaceful,

He did not give up, but with all the strength he could muster,

Believed in God’s will, even though it was lack luster,

How does one react when given 3-6 months to live?

When time is running out, like sand in a broken sieve?

With grace, received from God, and faith in eternity,

He showed us all how to die with honor and dignity.

Tammy Harvey

Written:  9/27/18, one year from diagnosis, in remembrance of 9/24/2017