What I Finally Decided to Say - Meg Newman

The cab arrived on time which stood out immediately as a minor miracle. Past experience contradicted the likelihood of this event. I found the correct entrance and began my ascent to the 4th floor. The security officer had soft eyes, looked at my gait and my crutches and said, "Don't bother with your ID, I can see you are fine. Besides we have cameras."

Okay I thought, and plowed my way to the elevator. After a short stay in the ambulatory surgery waiting room, I was led into the well-lit recovery room. Sherry's chest moved up and down rhythmically and slowly. She didn't budge when the nurse first introduced herself and began to situate me.

Sherry looked small and tender all swathed in her white covering – it was too thin to be called a blanket. I made my way to her left side and inspected her beautiful face and salt-and-pepper hair . In that moment, I felt unattached to the test results. We had waited so long to know what she was facing.

Awakening to her face and support after 4 spinal surgeries was sacred to me and I wanted Sherry to have similar experience. I wasn't leaving her side. The nurse reappeared, smiling and gave me the test results.

Sherry awoke and I said, "It was normal. All normal, no Crohn's disease" thinking to myself unlike her mother. I continued in an bold voice, "No colon cancer," and thought of the suffering of Sherry's two brothers. "Not even a polyp." This is what I finally said to Sherry.