In dedication to the wonderful staff at the BCCA in Victoria, BC.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
By: Dacia Reid

I have just passed the one year mark of being a survivor of breast cancer. I am doing well and wrote a poem to honour those that cared for me at the British Columbia Cancer Agency in Victoria, BC.

How Do You Do It?
By Dacia Reid
It's a place I never thought I'd be as I entered through the door.
My nerves were tight, my stomach sick, my innocence no more.
It was hard to know what would lie ahead with treatments soon to start.
I'd need trust and faith in someone else as I walked in with a heavy heart.
It was hard to imagine putting my life in someone else's hands.
It was strange to hear the medical words that I would learn to understand.
The women before me have forged the path that I will now start on.
The journey's begun, there's no turning back, the battle must be won.
It takes a special kind of person to deal with pain each day
To keep a smile on your face when you don't know what to say.
How do you handle it every day when your patients can barely cope?
What do they need the most from you, medical treatments or hope?
Do they fear for you to tell them that you've done all that you can do?
Do they need someone to help them make sense of what is true?
Is the burden that you carry too much for you to bear?
Is it hard for you every day to show how much you care?
The line for help grows longer, who knows when it will end?
The skin, the breasts, the lungs, the souls, all for you to mend.
How do you keep your spirits up and look to another day?
When you know the time is drawing near and no more treatments come your way.
The patients come from miles away to seek treatment that you give.
Their fondest wish is to banish the cancer then really start to live.
They're looking for just one more chance to do the things they love.
Will their prayers be answered quickly by someone up above?
I spent many long weeks with strangers who always smiled back
Finding someone to talk to was something I did not lack
So I thank-you now for all you've done for me from the very start.
You've given me the gift of life and I walk out with a grateful heart.

For Dr. Truong and all those that helped make me well. Thank-you for your kind hands, kind words and kind hearts.