It all started around December of 2009, when my life got turned upside down by this little lump on my neck.
“J.r!”

“What” I said
“What is that?”
“What is what?”
“What is that lump on your neck?”
“I don’t know.”
“Does it hurt?”
“No “
“Where did that come from?”
“Don’t know”
“Were going to the doctors right now!”
“Why”
“Because I have to know what that is!”
THE NEXT DAY
“Wake up” my mom said
“I don’t want to!”
“No choice, get up!”
“Ok, ok.”
Later that morning I was sitting in the waiting room of the hospital whose name I will never forget! The hospital that almost cost me my life. “Albert Einstein”
“The doctor will see you now, third room on the left…”
Ill never forget that room a pale blue that looked like it had been painted by cavemen.”
The chilly air gave me goose bumps, and I remember my mom telling me…
“It’s gonna be ok”
The thing was, that she knew, she knew all along, but just didn’t want to believe it,
She didn't want to believe that her only grandson had cancer. Something that didn't run in the family so it was something unexpected when it happened. Only my great uncle had it and it was from smoking

*Doctor Enters*

“so how are you doing today Rodney?"

And as usual my mom always answers for me when she's nervous

"Good, just a little nervous"

"We'll it's not a big deal"

I remember the tall, fat man, his face filled with what looked like an invasion of acne.

“All we have to do is send you of a blood test and that's all but it's usually puberty"

I immediately knew that was a lie, at the age of 12, I was 4 feet tall, no body hair AT ALL, and sounded like a little girl. Puberty? Please...

Around that time my stepmother was pregnant with my first brother. The miracle that I had been praying for and what would help me get through the year. So back to the test, I went to get them done and everywhere I went I carried a little book called "100 baby boy names". I had my heart set on Alex but that didn't happen. The nurse talked to me about the book to draw my attention away from the huge needle she was about to stab me with. But it wasn't that bad, just a little sting as she drew what would be the first of many blood samples.


1 WEEK LATER
*ring ring*

"Hello?"

“Hi this is Einstein pediatrics calling to confirm Rodney's appointment tomorrow at 4:30pm"

“Yes of course, we'll be there"

"Ok, great! Have a good day"

"You too"

*Hangs up*

¥THE NEXT DAY¥

Getting up in the morning isn't my biggest forte it's like getting poked in your stomach by little elves, really annoying...

Hurry up we're going to be late

Na ah... It's only 4:10 well be early

Yeah sure just hurry

"Ok, ok".

“You guys are back” said the nurse, of course we are I said with a sarcastic grin on my face, as if she pretended to lie to me about puberty too...

Well, after the doctor finished hearing my heart (which I think is the dumbest thing ever) he again lied, again saying that the results had come back negative. In a way I was happy but then again I had doubts

After the acne man sent me a prescription for a pill the size of a marble for 10 days, actually 20 because he sent it twice, and still the stupid lump was still there.

My mom as concerned as she is, she wouldn't take no for an answer.

I remember it being the end of 6th grade when I was transferred to St. Christopher's hospital for children. Already being scheduled for a biopsy on June 27, 2010

It was the scariest thing for me, having surgery!? Id think for moments at a time, imagining what it would feel like to get cut open. Still in mind that I'm only a 6th grade boy. But it wasn't all that big of a deal. I wasn't allowed to eat past 12 midnight, everything was hunkey dorey... Everyone was extra nice to me that day. When I got to the hospital they put me in a wheelchair, oddly enough it was fun. I remember my two favorite nurses in the Onc. (Oncology) Clinic, Jamie and Dawn. They made me fee, like family. Later then I was escorted to the surgery room.

Then finally the nurse came in all happy as they always are, she gave me some medicine that tasted good. It made me sleepy, so I fell asleep.

It was weird...
I didn't dream,
I couldn't feel,
I couldn't hear,
I wasn't alive.

Disconnected from the rest of the world with on dose of some medicine.

When I woke up, I was powerless, weak, and felt as if I'd been shot with a tranquillizer gun. I figured it'd ware off in a while but it didn't. I had to be taken out of the hospital in a wheelchair as I had come in, because I was so dizzy I couldn't walk. I didn't remember the ride home, or even getting into my house. All I remember is that I woke up in my mom’s bed. It was cool... I was Mr. Lazy for a couple days eating Mac-and-cheese and soda. It had something to do with the biopsy.


5 DAYS LATER

We had an appointment scheduled for June. I don't really remember the date but that date as much family as possible went! Mom, dad, grandma, and I went. We waited in the unfamiliar waiting room, which would be very well known for the next 5 months. I sensed the bad news in the air but didn't pay too much attention to it. As they called my grand mom into the room where the doctor was. I was confused. This was about me right!? Then why was she being called while leaving me behind?

I don't know but what I did know was that it was bad, real bad. It was like I was about to get sucker punched and didn't even know I had it coming. It was fast and furious. There was no way to prepare for these things, or is there? If there was, well we needed it, and BAM there it was a cry deeper than the one I've ever heard, a cry of help, of desperate need, and a cry like no other. I've only heard my grand mom cry two times in my whole life.

To be continued…………