Mommy, Why Do You Have Two Birthdays?

By T.E. Corner

T.E. Corner uses a very creative touch in his writing by uplifting and inspiring readers. In Mommy, Why Do You Have Two Birthdays? get ready for a breathtaking journey through happiness, fear, anger, self-discovery and ultimately triumph.

Upon his wife’s diagnosis with stage four non-Hodgkin lymphoma, in the form of a twelve centimeter mass in her chest, she quickly becomes an expert in the disease. She meets with multiple specialists in the field of oncology on her quest to discover a cure, until finding the right doctor who believes as much as she does that she will overcome.

T.E. chronicles his wife’s life altering experience, and the many fascinating procedures and treatments she endured, while on her way to a renewed life.

Wishing you love and happiness!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Balboa Press
• Release date: Mar 3, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504375351

T.E. Corner

T.E. Corner’s books have been strongly influenced by the likes Dr. Wayne Dyer, Eckhart Tolle, Dr. Robert O. Young, and Chris Largent. In this sequel to Assholes to Angels: A Change of Mind in the Workplace (and the World), he continues to explore life’s mysteries and the human experience. By breaking free from the shackles of fear and the ego we can attain an enlightened state of being.

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 Thomas E. Corner.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Author Credits: Author of the children’s books List for Santa, List for Life! and Positive Thoughts, Positive Life!

Balboa Press

A Division of Hay House

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Bloomington, IN 47403

www.balboapress.com

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

ISBN: 978-1-5043-7490-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-7491-0 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-5043-7535-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017902329

Balboa Press rev. date: 03/02/2017

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 A Change of Seasons

Chapter 2 How Old Are You?

Chapter 3 Pam: December Birthday

Chapter 4 How Did We Get Here?

Chapter 5 Not Exactly What We Expected to Hear

Chapter 6 Was This A Sign?

Chapter 7 Same Day, Different Life

Chapter 8 Not A Christmas Eve We Were Expecting

Chapter 9 I Am Going To Live. Are You In?

Chapter 10 Found Her Match

Chapter 11 Harvesting the Miracle of Life

Chapter 12 R-CHOP

Chapter 13 Chemo Lounge: Check Your Vanity at the Door

Chapter 14 Piano Fingering: Reflection and Meditation

Chapter 15 Sky-walker, a Delicate Balancing Act

Chapter 16 Losing Your Identity

Chapter 17 Digging Deep: Riding the Bike

Chapter 18 The City of Hope and a New Beginning

Chapter 19 Two-Tenths of a Mile

Chapter 20 We Are Happy, Healthy, and in Love

Chapter 21 Give it Away

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Over ten years ago my wife, Pam, was diagnosed with a life-altering disease, stage four non-Hodgkin mediastinal B-cell lymphoma, discovered as a twelve-centimeter mass in her chest cavity. Take this book that you are reading, close it, and lay it flat on a table. Looking at the base of the book widthwise, pick it up—similar to picking up a sandwich with both hands—and then pull the book toward you until the base touches your chest. The width of this book is approximately the width of the mass that occupied Pam’s chest on December 12, 2003.

This story chronicles Pam’s expedition toward triumph over this life-threatening diagnosis. It is being shared in honor of Pam and the thousands of women, men, girls, and boys who have been down a similar path. When you finish reading this story and you turn the final page, don’t put this book down. Embrace it in your hands, and allow your fingers to caress the cover. Open it up to feel your fingertips brush against the edge of each page as you flip through the book. Feel the slight breeze float off of the pages, as it gently kisses your cheeks. This subtle kiss is a reminder of a divine love that is inherently deep inside each of us.

If you are in the presence of someone else, smile at that person. If you are feeling brave enough, give him or her a hug. Allow the peace and love deep within your heart to rise up, and give this book to him or her. Not to worry—it will return to you in ways far beyond your wildest dreams.

A note to my wife Pam: your courage astounds me, and I am honored to be by your side. I love you!

Chapter 1

A Change of Seasons

It was Monday morning on June 8, the beginning of a new week. The quiet, cold winter had faded away and was now a distant memory, and a change of seasons was on the horizon for us, bringing new memories of hope and happiness. The chilly mornings that introduced little reminders of a winter not so long ago were no more. Slowly, day by day, the sun brought its warmth to the world, eventually to be accompanied by the soothing sights and sounds of spring and summer. Flowers blossomed with vibrant bursts of colors and beautiful aromas. All throughout the day, our ears were gently kissed with a whisper of song from birds floating through the crisp, clear blue sky above. As they flitted from tree to tree, their chorus saturated the air.

If we awoke early enough, just as the sun illuminated the dark morning sky to signal the beginning of a new day, we experienced a peacefulness that was slowly penetrated by a glimmer of sunlight and a slight song. The first bird broke through the silence with its song, announcing a new day. Before we realized it, the air was saturated with a chorus from hundreds of birds celebrating the new day, a new beginning.

This concert was bewildering. If you are fortunate enough to experience this phenomenon, it touches your soul and awakens your heart. Each and every day, as if on cue, the birds awoke to celebrate the new day that awaited them. If you listened closely, you could pick out a variety of birds as their songs came together to form a beautiful melody: cardinals, robin red breasts, blue jays, bluebirds, crows, sparrows, mourning doves, warblers, brown thrashers, mockingbirds, and many more.

June 8 was Pam’s morning concert, a day to honor and celebrate her new beginning. For everyone else, it was just another day of the year and probably didn’t mean much. They probably got up and went to work, went to school, and did whatever most people do on a Monday in June.

On this particular morning, I was sitting in my favorite coffee shop, already immersed in my day of work with my laptop in front of me. I was gazing intensely into the screen, reading through e-mail after e-mail and working on a multitude of things, when suddenly I heard a ding! My ears perked up, but I paid no attention to it. I heard it once again … ding! I was in the zone, but now my intense focus on work was interrupted.

I looked at my phone to see the picture of my daughters on the home screen slowly fade away as a text message from my wife, Pam, popped up on the screen.

Hey baby, today is my 2nd birthday!

Oh yeah, #11 right? I responded.

yes

Happy Birthday ILY!

For Pam and me, Monday, June 8