Cancer And It's Treatment

• Jelena Kalem, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2016

As the interpreter walks in and introduces himself, the conversation begins. My brother is lying on the bed facing the blank white ceiling. As the surgeon in the blue hair net and white coat, is talking to the interpreter to translate into the language Serbian. I understand the languages Serbian and English. I also am learning the language German in school. I’m picking up a few words in both languages.
I’m annotating and picking up key words as my English teacher had taught me. I can hear the words Chemotherapy, Port, Operation and Lymph Node. I know what my brother has. It’s Cancer.
After the meeting with the Surgeon, we then discuss of how the Chemotherapy will work. We meet with the doctor who will be controlling the drugs and chemotherapy. My brother will need to stay in hospital for another three days. Mama (mother in Serbian) stays will stay with him as Tata (father in Serbian) will need to make calls to see where I can stay for the three days because of Tata’s work. Tata works from 5:00 am until he arrives back home at 7:00pm. Tata is a Fitter.
It’s now time for Surgery. It took 3 hours to take the Lymph Node out and the Port in. For my brother it took a second. He couldn’t eat he was tired and his little teddy bear was by his side with us staring. I’m trying to make him laugh but nothing.
DAY 1 of Treatment
I’m staying at Tetka Lilja (Aunt Lilja) and Stric Boro (Uncle Boro) for the first day then I am staying at my friend Tijana’s for a tennis competition that goes for two days. Tetka Lilja, Stric Boro and I are going to go see my brother.
As I walk into the hospital’s Daily Cancer Treatment Room there are children with no hair, children vomiting and parents sobbing and crying of how their child could die and cannot believe what their children are going through. My brother has a plastic bag for vomiting. My brother looks like he is a drunk man walking on the streets. But he is just weak, tired and sick. So sick he can’t feel his own body.
DAY 2 of Treatment
I’m worried sick for my brother, I couldn’t sleep last night. I’m so tired I can’t even open my eyes.
Tetka Lilja’s phone rings her ringtone on her iPhone 6 and it is singing Serbian music. “Jelena! Javi se na telefon!” (“Jelena! Answer the phone!”). It’s mama. I’m still in my Little Miss Sunshine PJ’s talking to her. Mama is saying that my brother is getting even worse he is reaching to Stage 4 but he is currently on Stage 3. My brother could die. Doctors are saying he has a 50% chance of living. The cancer is getting even worse than yesterday.
DAY 3 of Treatment
As I hit the ball, the power of the ball is so powerful it’s like the bolt of lightning and the speed is almost like Usain Bolt. 6-0•6-0 my way I win the whole match in 1 hour 3 mins. As I hold the trophy high soaring in the sky it looks like a golden soaring eagle but it’s a woman hitting a ball.
‘2015 Championship Winner’ is written on the plate. A crowd of applause for me. But I don’t think it’s for me, it’s for my brother.
A TRUE STORY