I wouldn't claim to be an experienced person in medicine but I have had my share of having to lose someone condemned to an illness that doesn't seem to have any specific cure. I'm no stranger to pain, in fact nobody is but there are some kind of pain that hits differently, the pain of having to lose someone dear. There is no word that could describe the feeling, it is just something that consumes you from within till there is nothing left but agony and hopelessness.
There are different kinds of diseases and illness out there that take hold of people till they become a shadow of the person they used to be. One of the most constant thing on earth is death, as constant as it might be, when it knocks, it doesn't come with a pleasant experience.
I often tell people that, the most pitiful people are not those that are consumed by death but those left behind, those that have to live with the memory of the person they lost for the rest of their lives. Do you know what it feels like, to live with pain of having to lose someone for as long you live? The memory just hunts you every single moment you come across any form of item that reminds you of the person, suddenly your safe space becomes haunted.
One of the things that provide comfort for most people that lose a loved one is that, at least they did all they could but it doesn't make it hurt any less. One of the most terrifying illness or disease to me are the ones without cure, the moment that it gets hold of a person, all you can do is begin to count down till the person eventually succumbed to the illness.
There are many of such diseases or illness but the most common of it all is cancer. We have different types of cancer and each with its own category. The most devastating thing about cancer is that, no one is immune to it, we all have dormant cancer cells in us, it is like a time bomb waiting to set off. It is the kind disease that doesn't care about age, it takes anyone.
For those lucky enough to discover it at a very early stage might have a better chance of beating it but even such people know it is just a matter of time. I have heard of a lot of people with cancer but the one that scares me the most is stomach cancer. There are treatment for it, especially for those that got diagnosed at a very early stage before it spreads but for others, the treatment is not to cure it but to reduce the pain the patient endures and somehow prolong the persons life but even the person knows they are living on a borrowed time.
These category of people are classified as terminally ill patients, to these kind of people every single day is precious and filled with sadness because while they are grateful for having to live another day, they still have to endure the pain caused by the illness. While they breathe and hope for a miracle, every minute of their life is being snuffed away.
For the family of these people, they all walk on egg shells around them, they try so hard to not look too sad in front of them. They have to hide their sadness and smile in front of them just to give them hope, even if it is just a fragment of it.
The moment a patient is classified as terminally ill, he/she already got a clear diagnosis from a doctor and with specific days/weeks/months/years left to live. The time given to them is like asking them to go clean up their houses, say their goodbyes and wait for the inevitable.
So yeah, if I had the power to invent a cure, it would definitely be for cancer. To cure the beast that exist within us all, to give hope to those who are already on a count down, to prevent anyone from losing a loved one to a disease with no specified cure.
This write-up was inspired by week 33 episode 2 - SciFi multiverse prompt titled "A cure" in SciFi multiverse community.
Cover image - 𝖣𝖾𝗌𝗂𝗀𝗇𝖾𝖽 𝗎𝗌𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝖼𝖺𝗇𝗏𝖺
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