Submissions are welcome from oncologists, oncology nurses, and other cancer caregivers. E-mail only, please, to: [email protected], and include affiliation/title, address, and phone number, along with a photo, if available.
Poetry by Cancer Caregivers: A Pathologist
A pathologist, Unknown Soldier left on his own in the battle field, An actor behind the scene that patients will never know, that will never see An actor where the curtain will never be raised, an actor that will never face his faith
A pathologist, Unknown Soldier left on his own in the battle field, facing the enemy on the front line Enemy looking back at you with staring big scary eyes Smiling at you, daring you to unveil his evil truth Recognizing the enemy is an excitement and challenging task
It is a triumph that every pathologist feels But when the excitement settles down, the hard reality and questions sit in Who is this person afflicted by this cruel beast? Why him? How does it feel?
Passing the torch to the treating physician, breaking the bad news is always hard I wonder how do they do it? Does it get over old?
Am I blessed to be on the other side, just to be an actor behind the scene, Unknown Soldier with no medal to claim? Maybe yes, I will never know
PAULETTE MHAWECH-FAUCEGLIA, MD, is Professor of Pathology at the University of Southern California, specializing in surgical and gynecologic-oncological pathology.