That Day....

• Carla Magri, Grade 5
• Short Story
• 2014

That day...

That dreaded day I found out my mother had cancer. My heart stopped. I couldn't breathe.
"No, this can't be true" I cried. The doctor replied, "I'm sorry Sally’”.

Later that day, my mother receives a phone call from her surgeon, Leo Nedric. Leo speaks with my mum for well over an hour. After she hangs up, I race over to see what he has said. "Mother, what's the news?” She replies by saying "my cancer is not life threatening, it's just this whole process, Sally. You also need to understand that at times I won't be as active anymore, and the treatment will make me feel sick. Some days I will feel like a piece of paper getting crushed, and other days I will feel like I rule the world”.

Four days later my mother starts chemotherapy. Every single day I visit her in hospital hoping and praying that she is feeling on top of the world. Today she isn’t. I hold her hand and ask her what is wrong. She replies by saying "chemo has hit me hard, my stomach is in knots and I feel sick”. I hold her hand tight and say "if you don't feel well, perhaps I should leave”. "Sally, I feel better with you here – you give me strength”.

Week 9 came and chemo is over. Being off chemo has made her feel better, so she can be strong for that other dreaded day – surgery.

Today is that day - 22 February – that horrible day of surgery. I couldn't sleep last night and I cried the whole way to my grandparent’s house. I get out of the car and walk over to my mum. I give her the biggest hug and the biggest kiss and say “I love you to bits. Please call me after”.

We are told the surgery would be four hours long, but it turns out to be six and a half hours. At 8.30pm the phone rings. It’s daddy. "Finally!" I yell. "Hi dad, how is mum?” "She is good darling, just very tired”. "Thank God”, I answer.

The next day we visit mum at the hospital. She is very weak and cannot get out of bed. I know she has to go through this pain for her to get better and it breaks my heart to see her like this.

After three weeks in hospital mum can come home! She goes through another six weeks of chemo and radiation treatment which leaves her extremely ill and exhausted.

It’s been such a tough year, but mum is on the road to recovery, looking and feeling great.

However, I will never forget that day.



Written by Carla Magri