Relentless!

"Relentless!"

I awake with a start, what on earth is that sound?
I spring from the bed, and my feet hit the ground
And I dash ‘cross the room to shut off the alarm
Just a little more sleep surely wouldn’t cause harm

I throw on my clothes before I lose all willpower
For I’d rather be sleeping at this ungodly hour
I pull on my fleece and lace my running shoes tight
And step out, so quiet, in a world that’s still night

Cold air hits my face; from the streets, not a peep
“This is crazy,” think I, “All the world’s still asleep”.
It would be so easy to stay in a warm bed,
But the reasons I do this creep into my head

There’s the man saying goodbye to his dear grieving wife
As cancer is robbing what’s left of his life.
There’s the mother who’s weeping, her daughter’s so ill
In leukemia’s grip, she is going downhill

And somewhere, right now, a son’s losing his mother;
A father, his daughter; a sister, her brother.
And someone in this world, as I glide through the dark,
On a perilous journey is about to embark

They just got the news, like a bolt from the blue
Said the doctor “It’s cancer”, now their life’s all askew
“Will I still be alive at the end of the year?”
They ask the grim doctor in a voice laced with fear

If lucky, they’ll find that they have one of the cancers
For which medical science has developed some answers
But through the luck of the draw they also may find
To an incurable illness they have now been consigned

In the days just ahead they will sit in a chair
As the toxins drip slowly, as much as they dare
Their hair will fall out, their stomach will flop
Exhaustion is constant, the confusion nonstop

I quietly think, while past dark homes I sally,
That just six years ago it was I in that valley
Of cancer as I moved through on my difficult trek
My brain in a fog, my body a wreck

Even though at some times, events were quite dodgy
In the end it was I who prevailed, and not “Hodgy”
‘Twas God’s grace and great fortune led me to survive
To regain my health, and my strength, and to thrive

Seven miles I’ve now gone, and there’s still no first light,
Yet during this time ten more souls lost their fight
With deadly blood cancers as their time all expired
So how can I say, “I’ll just quit, I’m too tired?”

Back home and all warm, I think as I shower
“I can’t cure cancer, but it is in my power
To make a small difference, to raise funds, to inspire,
All to help cancer patients whose state is so dire”

And so I’ll continue to do Team in Training
Whether sunny and hot, or quite cold, or raining
Never mind if I’m soaked or if my teeth chatter
I will Train, I’ll Endure, I’ll Achieve, and I’ll Matter!

Art Ritter
Hodgkin Lymphoma Survivor
Three Time Team in Training Marathoner

November, 2008