{"id":3701,"date":"2017-03-21T16:36:12","date_gmt":"2017-03-21T23:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/?p=3701"},"modified":"2017-03-21T16:36:47","modified_gmt":"2017-03-21T23:36:47","slug":"rhea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2017\/rhea\/","title":{"rendered":"Home — a story by Rhea Calva-Despard"},"content":{"rendered":"

One City One Story 2017 Writing Contest<\/em><\/p>\n

2nd place<\/em><\/p>\n

Middle School category<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

Rhea Calva-Despard<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grade 7, Blair Middle School<\/p>\n

\u201cHome\u201d<\/p>\n

Summary: \u00a0A thirteen year old with ARMS disease recalls the difficulty and pleasures of traveling\u2014both for fun and for treatments. <\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Sometimes I feel like my life is one of those inspiring movies, with the kid that gets sick or injured, and then at the end, some miracle happens, and they\u2019re better. The only difference: in this movie, I don\u2019t get better. I look at the white walls around me, covered in pictures and get-well letters. The cards on my desk look so cheery and colorful in contrast to my mood and physical feeling. I feel like crud, which is not surprising, considering my condition. I look at the needles and tubes in my body and wish I could just go home. Permanently. When I get the rare occasion to stay home for a few weeks or months at a time, my friends ask me a lot of things. Like, Do I enjoy traveling<\/em>? My answer: No.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s more than a one-word answer, same as my condition. I have Alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma, or ARMS if you prefer. Basically to summarize it, I have cancer in my muscles surrounding my bones, which is painful, and that\u2019s putting it simply. Do I travel for fun? No. I travel for treatments, which, let me tell you, is no party. My survival chances: I have no idea. Everyone just tells me that this will make me better<\/em>, or this will kill that stupid disease<\/em>, but they don\u2019t like to mention it might also kill me. For kids my age\u2014ages 15 and younger, the survival chances are 53% to 67%. I\u2019m thirteen, and I\u2019ve been stuck with ARMS for a year and a half.<\/p>\n

I wish that when I travel, my hair could grow back. Then the pictures mom took of me wouldn\u2019t be pictures that I look back on and automatically think, \u201cThat sucked.\u201d I remember when I got a treatment from a specialist in Italy, Mom and I detoured before we went home and visited the leaning tower of Pisa. That was honestly a bad move on both my mom\u2019s part and mine. That treatment felt like knives digging into my joints. Every time I moved or took a step forward, Mom was there, holding my weight so I didn\u2019t collapse. I don\u2019t think she enjoyed the trip anymore than I did. If I hadn\u2019t been sick, it would have been fun. If I hadn\u2019t been sick, we probably wouldn\u2019t have been anywhere near Italy.<\/p>\n

Before I was diagnosed with ARMS, my parents were saving up for a trip to Bora Bora. It was my dad\u2019s dream to take the family there, because that\u2019s where he and Mom went for their honeymoon. The whole plan was scrapped when Dr. Todd announced my cancer. Now all the money is wasted on treatments that so far haven\u2019t helped. I asked Mom if I could please use the Make A Wish program to get our vacation to Bora Bora as an apology for wasting their money. But of course, Mom and Dad told me, \u201cUse the wish for yourself, honey,\u201d and \u201cYou\u2019re not wasting our money!\u201d Somehow, they believe this will convince me that traveling to different states and countries doesn\u2019t cost much.<\/p>\n

Doctors always ask me if my flight was okay, and Mom always tells me to be polite; in other words, be dishonest. The one part of traveling I enjoy is when I get back home and crash on my bed. I also like when we fly over the ocean and go to tropical places. I enjoy having a hotel room on the beach. I enjoy every morning waking up, then walking out and dipping my toes in the water. When my family travels for fun, I seem to enjoy everything so much more.<\/p>\n

\u201cMaddie,\u201d Mom\u2019s voice interrupts my thoughts. \u201cWe can leave now. They finished the treatment.\u201d I don\u2019t remember getting any injection surgery, therapy, or a heavy dose of drugs. \u201cBut I didn\u2019t get a treatment,\u201d I say. \u201cI know,\u201d Mom says. \u201cWe\u2019re leaving right now because we have to go home.\u201d YES!!! No offense to Texas, but I was not looking forward to any treatments. Suddenly it strikes me. \u201cWhy?\u201d I ask. \u201cBecause Dr. Todd believes your ARMS has transformed into arthritis!!!\u201d Only Mom can say that with a smile \u201cArthritis?\u201d I ask. \u201cYes, but with physical therapy, the doctors think that it can recede to only joint discomfort when your body needs rest.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHow long will that take?\u201d I ask cautiously. \u201cAbout a year, max. At least, that\u2019s what Todd thinks.\u201d Okay, only a year. This is crazy. Wait. Wait. What? \u201cWait, did Todd mean I don\u2019t have ARMS anymore? It\u2019s just arthritis?\u201d I realize this was not clarified. \u201cYes,\u201d Mom replies. \u201cAccording to most recent blood tests, ARMS is gone.\u201d \u201cWait. Really!?\u201d Tears stream down my face. I realize this is the day that I, Maddie Owens, am free from alveolar Rhabdomyosarcoma.<\/p>\n

The plane ride home goes smoothly until the airport loses my luggage, but I\u2019m so happy, I don\u2019t mind. My coffee colored hair is going to grow back, and I\u2019m going to take really good care of it. I might even dye my tips a bright color! My whole family is at the airport when we arrive with a sign that says, \u201cCongratulations!\u201d Once we get home, there\u2019s a voicemail from Dr. Todd saying he\u2019s very proud of me, and that it\u2019s unlikely I will ever get sick again. I don\u2019t need Make A Wish anymore and I would like to stay at home for a million years. Traveling is overrated.<\/p>\n

I wake up to realize I\u2019m alone, and that it\u2019s almost noon. My family arrives a few minutes later with takeout. Later, after I brush my teeth, I look in the mirror, I see a strong person, someone who has looked death directly in the eye and survived. Traveling has left me a little jetlagged but I don\u2019t mind. I survived. And right now, that is enough for me.<\/p>\n

\n

To view the list of the contest\u00a0winners: \u00a0OCOS 2017 The Traveler Contest Winners<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

One City One Story 2017 Writing Contest 2nd place Middle School category Rhea Calva-Despard Grade 7, Blair Middle School \u201cHome\u201d Summary: \u00a0A thirteen year old with ARMS disease recalls the difficulty and pleasures of traveling\u2014both for fun and for treatments.   Sometimes I feel like my life is one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":3702,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[92],"class_list":["post-3701","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-writing","tag-contest"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/18\/files\/sites\/18\/2017\/03\/ocos2017_rcalva.png","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s5ZwbD-rhea","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3694,"url":"http:\/\/pasadena-library.net\/teens\/2017\/the-traveler-contest-winners\/","url_meta":{"origin":3701,"position":0},"title":"The Traveler Contest Winners","author":"Jane Gov","date":"March 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"We are pleased to announce\u00a0the\u00a0One City One Story 2017 \"The Traveler\" Art and Writing Contest winners! 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