Monday, I do nothing
Tuesday, I sleep all day
Wednesday, is like Monday
Thursday, it’s bed come what may
Friday, I have fatigue
Saturday, I’m in my nightwear
What will I do when Sunday comes?
Really?
I don’t care!
The poem is an adaptation of a rhyme I learned as a child about the days of the week. A neutropenic infection requires a lot of antibiotics and fluids administered over a number of days. I found this much more exhausting than receiving chemotherapy.
September 2023 is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. It is also Child Cancer Awareness Month. Every day 10 children in the UK are diagnosed with cancer. Of those lucky enough to survive, many will have long-term side-effects that may significantly impact their lives forever.
I am posting one poem per day to recognise this and raise money for the Ellen MacArthur Cancer Trust. This charity provides sailing and other outdoor adventures for children and young people aged 8-24 who have been treated for cancer. But it’s more than that. There’s a package of support around this including siblings, return trips, volunteering opportunities and so on. The Trust also works hard to ensure their work is environmentally sustainable. You can make a donation HERE!
Neither do I (want to like the last couple). They are fabulous poems, you are very eloquent, you show (as much as you can) what it must be like to experience the treatments you describe in only a few words, leaving the reader, feeling so much empathy for you. They are works of art, but ones I really wish you were not experiencing xxx
I didn’t want to like this one 😔 thank goodness you were able to get through the experience. Gentle hugs xxx