It Affects Us All

It began with me
Starting my senior year
It was Hodgkin lymphoma
But I never shed a tear

How could I?
I had no clue what it was
Hair loss was my concern
I’d be left with peach fuzz

I wore a Brooklyn Dodgers hat
Throughout my ordeal
My family was always there
To support me and help me heal

Many years had passed
And I was the only one
The only one with cancer
The very unlucky son

I turned it into a positive
I appreciate family and life
And motivated my career
Here in NY, where I met my wife

Then a few years ago
Other family were affected
Dvir my mother’s closest cousin
The one with whom we most connected

Esophageal cancer
Though he was not alone
Two other cousins of mine
Had also set this tone

Pancreatic cancer in Yariv
And his brother too
Hodgkin lymphoma in Ziv
Miriam their mother had lost two!

My father came next
Though fortunately he is alive
Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
He was able to survive

My mother then got melanoma
She handled it in stride
Though she’s always been good
At keeping her emotions inside

Most recently my sister
Had cancer of the breast
But it has not stopped her
From living life with zest

Along the way
My family would often ask
For oncologic guidance
Now support became my task

But I learned throughout the years
Conveying and feeling positivity is the key
And I learned from these events
How important family is to me

Our loved ones must be appreciated!
And never take life for granted
Every day I wake up remembering this idea
Since it was first planted

By my experience with lymphoma
I am sure others will agree
When you go through cancer
It affects the whole family