Cancer, Seek & Destroy: The Little c, The Story Of A Family’s Fight With Cancer

By Lawrenzo C.P. Manza

The Story A Family's Fight With Their Son's Cancer
On a chilly, damp foggy, September morning, Charlie slowly walks into the downstairs brightly lit kitchen. His eyes react to the light reflecting off the large white cabinets. He touches the tender swollen lump under the left side of his neck and winces in pain.Charlie knows that something is wrong with him. He's afraid to tell his mom and dad for fear that learning what may be causing the lump in his neck may be related to the sickness he almost died from when he was born.He doesn't want to put his family through the stress and uncertainty that they went through twelve years ago. However, he knows if he doesn't say something, his parents may never forgive him.

• If you have a loved one in your family, or have a friend that is fighting cancer, no matter what their age, this story, can help you.
  
• Based on my fight with cancer while receiving chemo, I learned how to use my imagination as an adult to create positive thoughts and actions to go into full remission.
  
• Anyone fighting cancer needs to be resilient and never give up!
  
• If you get knocked down by a setback, you need to learn to get back up and fight back!
  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lawrenzo C.P. Manza
• Release date: Feb 9, 2019
• ISBN: 9781792301636

Book preview

cheek.

Chapter 2: Doctor Visit

Charlie had an appointment at eleven o’clock Monday morning with Doctor Young and wasn’t feeling any better after resting for three days. He has even less energy, and his throat is still sore and tender.

They arrive at the office, check in, and sit down in the waiting room. Charlie always thought the room looked boring. He looks at the pile of magazines on the table, but nothing interests him. Hey Mom, how come they don’t have any video games? Doc, never has any good reads like baseball or military magazines, what’s up with that, isn’t this a doctor’s office for kids?

Not every child has the same taste as you do.

I think these magazines are for people like you. They should carry a few cool reads for my age group. I’ll talk to Sam about it when I mow his lawn next Saturday.

A few minutes later the door opens, and a nurse dressed in purple scrubs asks them to follow her to the exam room. She asks Charlie if he remembers her name.

If your nametag hasn’t changed, then yes I remember your name, Renee.

She laughs and takes his blood pressure, temperature and weight. A few minutes later, there’s a light tap on the door, and Dr. Young enters the room.

Which one of you is feeling sick this morning?

Charlie starts to laugh but it hurts his throat, and the doctor notices his discomfort.

Well, you look a little green around the gills. How about we poke around and see what’s going on?

Are you going to take a look under the hood Doc?

Good one Commando. The doctor focuses on Charlie's throat and neck. When he touches Charlie's glands, he winces in pain.

That hurts.

How about we take a little blood from your arm and see how much spinach you’ve been eating? Dr. Young listens to Charlie’s lungs, heart, and replies. No signs of congestion, but he does have some redness in his throat. His eyes are a little bloodshot, and he has a temperature. Just like you Commando to make this a mystery. Do you feel like you have a cold, any aches and pains that are bothering you?

Kind of Doc, but something feels different. I get kind of sweaty at night like I ran a few miles in my sleep.

You have one gland on the left side of your neck that’s a lot larger than the other glands and that puzzles me. Dr. Young turns to Carrie and Dan and says. I want him to see an ear, nose and throat doctor.

Charlie giggles and asks. Does the doctor have any arms and legs?  

Good to see you still have your sense of humor Commando. I need a blood sample, Renee will you take care of that please? Yes, Doctor.

She asks Charlie to make a fist then wraps rubber tubing around his upper arm. She looks for a good vein and taps it with her finger. Renee takes out an alcohol pad and cleans the area where she will be inserting the needle.

Charlie puts on his commando face. He tightens all his facial muscles, scrunches his nose, and says. I won't feel a thing. The small needle pierced his skin, and enters into his vein; Charlie pretended he didn’t feel anything. Renee, how does my blood get into the tube?

It’s called a collection tube, and suction draws the blood into the tube.

That’s so cool.

The doctor returns a few minutes later and asks Charlie if he wants any candy. Nancy is waiting for you at her desk with a nice assortment. Dr. Young asks Dan and Carrie to remain in the room. We need to find out why Charlie’s gland is so swollen.

Is it anything serious? Carrie asked

I’ll make an appointment with a doctor I’ve known for years. He has great expertise with matters of this kind. Let's see what he has to say before we start to worry ourselves over nothing.

Are you sure Sam?

Deanna will have Dr. Jackson’s office call you by the end of the day with your appointment. I would also recommend that you keep Charlie home until he sees the new doctor.

Dan and Carrie thanked him but still had a lot more questions they wanted to ask him. They knew how busy he was and decided they would trust his judgment.

On the way home, Charlie asks his mom. What kind of a doctor looks at ears and stuff like that?

Well, there are a lot of doctors that treat different parts of the body Son. Dr. Young wants to make sure he didn’t miss anything today. He feels this new doctor can make sure you are as tight as a drum so you can beat the pants off your dad with your new PS4 game.

Have you been watching some of my old shows again?

Dan reaches behind the front seat and gives the bag from the game store to Charlie.

This can’t be the new game Retreat III? I’ve been waiting to get my hands on this to see how long it’ll take me to get through all of the levels. I read that they supply you with bandages for all of the blisters you get from the intense action.

When we get home, and if you're feeling up to it, I’ll show you how a warrior fights and wins, Commando.

After they returned home and settled in. Carrie noticed that there was a message from Dr. Jackson’s office. They scheduled an appointment for Wednesday at 3:30. Carrie had a worried look on her face. She turned off the answering machine and sat down on the couch in the living room and laid her head on one of the over-stuffed rose colored pillows and closed her eyes.

Chapter 3: Cancer

Charlie rested and slept for the next couple of days, but still felt very tired. There was a knock at the front door, Carrie gets up from the living room loveseat and walks to the doorway and asks. Who’s there?

It’s Tim and Mike, Mrs. C.

She opens the door, lets them in, and asks them how they’re both doing.

We’re doing super fine, but we’re missing our buddy, Charlie. What’s wrong with him? It’s not like him to miss this much school, is he okay? Mike asked.

Charlie is at the top of the stairs and tells them to come up to his room.

They enter his room and see him sitting on his bed looking tired and pale.

Dude, Tim said. Are you trying out for a part on the TV show, Land of the Zombies?"

I look that bad you guys?

It looks like the Freight Train has derailed, Maybe it’s time to shift gears and get Commando Charlie back in the game," Mike said with a concerned look on his face.

I have no idea what’s going on; I have to see some special doctor so I can find out what’s wrong with me.

Wow, that’s a first even for you Commando, Tim said.

Have I missed much at school?

Not really, but with you out of the way we now have a better chance with the girls.

There was an uncomfortable silence, and then Mike

said. We better get going; I don’t want to catch whatever you have. We’ll come back and see you when you’re feeling better.

After they left his room, Charlie felt depressed, tired, and just wanted to sleep. He slowly crawled under his covers and fell fast asleep.

On Wednesday, he and his mom got ready for the doctor’s appointment. His dad had important meetings at work and couldn’t come with them.

Charlie could hardly wait to see what an ear, nose and throat doctor looked like; He might be a cyborg from one of his video games.

When they arrive at the office, the receptionist gives his mom some paperwork to fill out and has them wait until they called his name. A tall, heavyset nurse introduces herself to them. She has an interesting name, Crystal Ball. The nurse takes his blood pressure, weight, and temperature. She hands Charlie a gown to change into and tells them the doctor will be in shortly.

A gown, Dr. Young never makes me wear one; I’m just going to strip down to my boxers. A commando never puts on a gown!

A few minutes later there’s a knock on the door; the doctor enters the room. He introduces himself as Dr. Jackson and tells Charlie and his mom that he had spoken to Dr. Young.

He examines Charlie’s right side and then the left side of his neck. The lump I’m feeling is a lymph node. I’ll need to do a needle biopsy. I can do the procedure right now in the office if it’s alright with you Mrs. Carlson?

Biopsy, Carrie replies with a surprised look on her

face! Can you please explain the meaning of a biopsy without scaring my son?

We take samples of cells from the lymph node, using a fine needle aspiration technique, so we can study it in the lab and see if there are any cancer cells.

Carrie was even more upset and shocked when she heard the word cancer. She motions for the doctor to move away from the exam table so she can talk to him more privately.

In a hushed, nervous voice, she asks the doctor. Why would you even say the word cancer around a twelve-year-old boy?

My apologies, but I’ve seen enough lymph nodes like your son’s with my other patients. I’m sorry to say it’s probably cancer. I didn’t mean to alarm you or your son; please forgive me. I promise I’ll explain everything to Charlie so he can understand all of this. How about we start over again?

Please choose your words carefully!

The doctor turns to face Charlie and says. This is going to be a really easy procedure. You had blood taken at Doctor Young’s office a few days ago right?

Yes.

I’m going to do almost the same thing here. In a few minutes, I’ll numb your neck so you won’t feel anything then I’ll take a few samples of fluid from your lymph node. Just like taking blood from your arm, it’ll be over before you know it. How many years have you been training to be a top-notch commando?

For as long as I can remember, how many years is that Mom?

Too many, she answered in a slightly agitated voice.

The doctor tells them he has to leave the room to get the needed medical equipment. When he returns, he has a tray in his hand with four syringes lined up in a row. He mutters to himself that he can’t find a nurse to assist him so he’ll do the procedure himself.

Okay, Doctor I’m ready for you to numb my neck.

Charlie makes his commando face. He scrunches his nose and curls his fingers and toes. He feels the needle pierce his skin, immediately followed by a sharp pain. The needle is pushed deeper into his neck and angled slightly in different directions to disperse the lidocaine

After about thirty seconds, the discomfort was over. Charlie hardly felt anything. About ten minutes later, the doctor had completed the procedure.

We’re all done. He raises his hand to his forehead and salutes Charlie. I’ll rush your samples to the lab for testing and call you Mrs. Carlson with the results.

Can I see what my cells look like?

Sure, you see this milky fluid?

Yes.

This is what I took from your lymph node.

I thought there would be more blood?

We’re not looking for blood Commando, what we want are the cells, and it looks like we got some very good samples from you.

So are they like prisoners and you kind of torture them so they can tell you what they are doing in my body?

Something like that. I’ll let you know the results from the lab as soon as I get the report back from the lab. In the meantime, Mrs. Carlson, I would have your son stay home from school and rest as much as he can.

Thank you, Dr. Jackson, she said trying to conceal the fear and anger in her voice.

After they left the office, Carrie thought it would be a good idea to get something to eat before they headed home. She wanted to try to explain a little more to her son about how the doctor was going to try to help him.

What would you like to eat? How about we drive over to the organic market and get some lunch from the deli?

I’m in the mood for a burger, french fries, and a strawberry shake? I think if I chew slowly I can eat my rations with no problems.

You know I only let you eat take-out food once a month, but since you’re feeling under the weather, I guess we can bend the rules today.

They drove to his favorite fast food restaurant, Big Larry’s Burgers. When you drive into the parking lot, you can see a giant hamburger with all of the fixings spinning on top of the building.

Charlie always got excited when he saw that, and it made him feel even hungrier. They ordered their meal and sat down. Charlie asked his mom to explain more about what cancer is.

We’re not sure if it is cancer, the doctor wants to find out what is causing the swelling in your neck. The only way for him to know for sure is when he gets those test results back from the lab. Let’s wait until we get more information from him; then we can have him explain everything to us.

On the drive home after lunch, Carrie’s cell phone rings. It’s her husband Dan; she puts him on speakerphone. Can we talk tonight when you come home? I want to let Charlie get some rest, and then we can go over the day’s events. She hits the off button on her phone and thinks about what she’s going to say to him tonight.

After they arrive at their house, Charlie slowly makes his way to the top of the stairs and goes into his room so he can sleep. Dan comes home several hours later, and they both go upstairs and check on Charlie.

He hasn’t moved since we got home, Carrie whispered. She motions for him to come downstairs into the kitchen so they can talk about the doctor’s appointment. I was so upset when Dr. Jackson used the term cancer, she said pacing the kitchen floor. Charlie doesn’t understand the full meaning of that word, and neither do we! The doctor should have been more discreet. We don’t even have the results back from the lab!

Calm down honey; everything will be okay.

He didn’t even give him enough time to prepare for the biopsy. You would think they would make another appointment?

Dan notices the stress of the day’s events is starting to take a toll on Carrie. She looks tired, worn-out and worried.

He walks over to her and tells her how much he loves her and looks deep into her blue eyes and says. Honey, keep an open mind and hope the tests are negative, if it is cancer, we have to hold ourselves together and keep a positive attitude to help Charlie.

I noticed something Dr. Young started years ago, he uses Charlie’s nickname, Commando. He responds positively to that name and never shows any fear no matter what test he is going to get.

He nods his head. That sounds just like our son.

The same thing happened today with Dr. Jackson, Dr. Young must have spoken to him. She reaches for his hand and holds it gently in hers. I know this sounds kind of stupid, but if we learn from the tests, he does have cancer. She pauses and wipes a tear from her eye. Let’s use the same approach the doctors are using, we won’t overdo it but let’s call him Commando from time to time?

We were never really big on using nicknames. I’ve always liked that we picked my dad’s middle name for Charlie’s first name. I think you’re right; all his friends call him Commando. No harm if we use it from time to time. Dan hugs her softly while they sit at the kitchen table wondering what’s in store for them in the near future.

Chapter 4: Test Results

A week later, Dr. Jackson calls Carrie with the test results from the lab. Uncontrolled emotions and fear filled her heart when she hears the word cancer from the doctor.

Are you still there Mrs. Carlson?

Yes I’m listening Doctor, she murmured.

Charlie has a type of cancer called lymphoma it’s a cancer of the white blood cells namely lymphocytes. We have to take a sample of his lymph node so we can find out exactly what type of lymphoma he has.

Carrie could barely find the strength to speak; her knees felt as if they were going to buckle. She held onto the back of the brown leather couch to brace herself so she wouldn’t collapse.

Are you sure Doctor? she asked in a shaky, uncertain voice. One day Charlie is a perfectly healthy young boy, and the next day he wakes up with cancer. How is that possible?

Mrs. Carlson, I know how hard this has to be for you to accept.

How bad is his cancer, how far has it spread, and what stage is it in?

I need to perform an outpatient surgery on the enlarged lymph node from his neck to determine that.

Carrie can’t believe what she’s hearing. She has a blank look on her tired face.

I’ll arrange a referral for Charlie to be seen by another doctor after the surgery. I know a great oncologist; she used to be a bone marrow transplant specialist. Her experience will be very valuable. I’ll mention that your son has a unique way of responding to stress when he is called Commando Charlie.

After the doctor was through explaining everything to Carrie, she hangs up the phone and drops to her knees. A