He looked back at her, and she wondered where she had seen him before. She had the distinct feeling she had seen those very same, bright green eyes somewhere before. He looked very familiar.
He asked interested, "What did they diagnose you with?"
She smiled patiently and settled back against the wall. She fingered the pages of the book on her lap as she said, "I was diagnosed with a chordoma tumour." She stopped for a moment and glanced at him to see if he knew what she was talking about. He did not, so she explained, "It's technically a bone cancer and it is a very rare form of cancer. Only about one in a million people get it." There was another glance, and then she continued, "To explain in big words, a chordoma is a rare type of cancer that develops from the notochord. The notochord forms the spine in a developing baby in the womb. After about six months, most of the notochord is replaced by the bones of the spine. However, small amounts of the notochord may remain and these can sometimes develop into a chordoma." She stretched her neck a little and he could see the tension in her shoulders as they pulled up. "My chordoma was allowed to grow for so long that it had pushed itself inside my skull and it is now resting against my brain, making it both a brain and bone cancer." She laughed sarcastically, at a joke she shared only with herself. "It is a miracle I can walk or even sit here in the sun today."
Troubled he asked, "What have the doctor's done? They must be able to make you better, can't they?"
She looked at him overwhelmed. "I have had two surgeries to remove most of the tumour. There is, of course, Proton Beam Therapy, which is a type of radiotherapy effective in treating chordoma, but it is not an option, because it's not yet available here, and my mom cannot afford it anyway." She pulled at the skin around her chewed thumbnail. "It will only be available here from about twenty-seventeen, but by that time I may no longer be available. Besides, it's too late for me and I have accepted it." She added softly as if she was talking to herself, "I'll be okay."
" You must have been so scared." He looked at her concerned.
" I was just so relieved that somebody finally figured out what was wrong with me. I cried for days from sadness, fear, and relief."
" Relief?"
" Yeah, cause being so tired all the time wasn't just my imagination. After three months of self-pity, I stood up, on trembling legs, and decided to live, however many days I have left, but it's not as easy as it sounds."