Poet’s statement: This poem was written during the final days of my stem cell transplant for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and just after a fellow patient on the ward had died of complications similar to those from which I was suffering. It and other poems written during that time helped me face the physical suffering involved in the transplant, and, more importantly, the loneliness and fear that filled the empty hours when I only dimly understood my day to day situation. The poetry also helped me focus on my hope for a new day once treatment was complete; this hope remained vitally important to me throughout the procedure.
The everlasting sleep false nights on cold |
DR. JAMES RICKERT is a practicing orthopedist in Bloomington, IN. He founded The Society for Patient Centered Orthopedics, a patient advocacy group (www.thepatientfirst.org).
Highlighted in Frontispiece Winter 2010 – Volume 2, Issue 1
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