WRITER * ARTIST * DOCTOR * PATIENT * MOTHER
It was a lazy morning. My dad had made banana pancakes, I sat in the den devouring them, entranced by Saturday cartoons. As I watched Road Runner speed through the desert, my heart suddenly started to flutter – frantic hummingbird were trapped in my chest. Though only 9 years old, I knew something was strange….
I am happy to share my essay has been published in the fall issue of Northwestern Magazine. You can read here.
“And oh, um, I feel like I’ve been gaining weight,” I said hesitantly. The doctor was about to exit, her hand on the doorknob, “But it’s just in my belly.” After the usual questions and admonitions, a brief listen to my heart and lungs, a feel of my neck, and orders for a…
“It’s just become overwhelming,” Mrs. Perez whispered. Her daughter Jacinta wandered, wiggled and stomped around the exam room, peppering me with questions. “What’s this?” “Where are the Band-Aids?” “Does this sink work?” “It does, Jacinta.” I replied. “Why don’t you wash your hands?” She set to work with a large squirt of soap…