"I Am A Survivor"

I was asked to read my father's poem at the survivor luncheon. I was- honored to represent the feelings of survivors, and share my father's love with others.

"The tentacles of cancer touch us every whit

And body and spirit we seem to feel unfit

For the joy of life that so suddenly ebbs away
Our thoughts and dreams are in disarray

The shock of learning we have it changes us
Making us think that we are cancerous

And a death sentence has been pronounced
Especially as the news gets announced

Family and friends embrace us and they cry
As if our tears are not enough to satisfy

The grief that overwhelms us so completely
And drains us of our personal bravery

Then we meet our doctor and angel nurses
And hope springs and despair reverses

As we learn about treatments that abound
And we step onto a new battleground

One where we can fight and escape the jail
Of dying, where life can again prevail

Where thoughts and dreams fill us anew
Replacing hopes when they withdrew

As patients we see things differently now
In spite of pain and nausea, somehow

Our eyes see the beauty in just being alive
Because we’re fighting to just survive

Life is too precious to let go without a fight
I want sunlight, twilight and moonlight

To brighten my days and help me to realize
God sees me as precious with his eyes

And if it was He that gifted me with this life
I must treasure it and deal with strife

In a way that confirms for me that I can live
Because a survivor has to be positive

I am a survivor."

K.G. Hutchins
April 24, 2013