CLARA
The cold air slapped my face as soon as I stepped out of the building. I gasped, clutching at my tightening chest.
At sixteen, my life ended. I was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma.
I went through the hair loss, the weakened immune system, and the constant exhaustion. But the worst part was the loneliness. No one knew what I was going through. No one cared enough to ask.
My parents were too busy caring about themselves and what they could get from me. Not once did either of them ask how I was doing.
I worked any job I could find, scraping together enough to keep up with treatment. I didn't have money, I didn't have support, and half the time I didn't even have the energy to stand… but I pushed through anyway.
At seventeen, after months of chemo, I was finally declared in remission. I thought I was free. I felt my body had finally stopped betraying me.
I thought wrong.
Three months ago, the symptoms returned.
