Friday, January 1, 2010

Dear Cancer

When my stepdaughter, Annie's,  tumors were first discovered she was told she had cancer and that it was terminal.  My stepdaughter, Shelly wrote this poem, vowing to fight with Annie, to battle the cancer that Annie was diagnosed with.  Shortly after this diagnosis the doctors discovered Annie had Neurofibromatosis.  The poem stood true still because Shelly was there with Annie for all her surgeries, she drove her to San Francisco for most of her appointments, and she was there holding Annie's hands when that stupid doctor injected Collagen into Annie's carotid artery, which was the cause of Annie's death.  I just want to share this poem.  I had not read it in a long time Shelly wrote it in December of 2007 and Annie went to be with the angels on May 8, 2008.  Please do not share this poem.  It was written for Annie, by her sister, Shelly Patricia Williams. The picture on the right is Annie on Easter 2008, just a month before her death, of course, the middle one is Annie when I first met her and below is Annie with her dad and siblings, 7 months before her death. 




Dear Cancer,

How do you choose, who's lives you take,

How do you decide, who's hearts you break?

Is it the smile, or color of hair,

Is it genetics, or do you even care?

Do you like them beautiful, must the be fat or thin,

Maybe you base it on the type of religion.

Why do you attack, so fierce and strong,

Taking a life that should have been long.

Destroying futures, causing pain,

What is in it for you, what do you gain?

I don't understand, I cannot comprehend,

What makes you cause pain, until the lives you take end.

Who gives you the power, what gives you the right?

To steal a life in the darkness of the night.

I will fight for the lives you steal,

I will mend them and help them heal.

You will not win, you have met your match,

For you have chose the wrong life to snatch.

Now I hate you from the bottom of my heart,

You began a battle you will wish you did not start.

You came into my family, a life I love and adore

So from now on consider it war.

3 comments:

maryellen said...

This is a beautiful poem Lillie. Thank you so much for sharing. Hopefully one day we will win this war against cancer ~ for Annie ~

Grace said...

What a wonderful poem with passion that Shelly wrote for Annie. I know this is a hard time for you and Annie's family... what a beautiful family too.

trish baker said...

This is such a beautiful poem. What a wonderful and loving sister Shelly is. The poem is written with such passion to fight cancer, and will inspire cancer patients and their families to battle the disease.