As a cancer survivor myself, this poem describes my own internal struggle, and the raw acknowledgement that as a Breast Care Patient Navigator, what I say to patients about their diagnosis can change their lives forever.
I travel each day
to a place of healing and of dying.
I hope to make a difference,
but some days I cause the world to come crashing down
with my voice…
I want to help, but my words, my news…
I say it gently,
I say it with hope,
I say it with courage and conviction.
How can I say it differently?
I cannot.
I must say it with honesty.
I am there to navigate rough waters
and to guide the drowning.
I call out and create a path
that leads the blinded.
I soothe the frightened,
and I hug the shaking.
I travel miles each day,
I know I make a difference.
I do it for them,
And for me—
The cancer survivors.
