All around me I hear the city buzzing,
Cars honking, people yelling.
The streets are filled with the aroma of food,
Hot dogs, gyros, pretzels, popcorn.

The city is so diverse, so large, so beautiful.
This is New York City,
The city that never sleeps.

Nestled in between 67th and 68th street stands a building with about 15 floors.
Each floor different from the other, I was always on the 9th.
The walls were blue with lights that changed colors.
There were books, fishtanks, couches, and TVs.

There were babies crying,
Kids laughing and playing,
This didn’t seem too bad I told myself.

A woman at the front desk put a band on my wrist and led my mother and I into a small room.
The room had pale walls, one chair, and a bed.
The mild smell of disinfectant filled my lungs.
This was where I was going to spend the next 13 hours.

Initially, those 13 hour days only felt like a few hours.
But as the months went by, they began to feel longer and longer.
And as that time went by, I grew weaker and weaker.

The slight smell of food began to nauseate me
And I found my sleeve over my nose at all times to block the smell.
My skin went from a beautiful olive tone
To a pale, lifeless blue.

I felt as if time had slowed,
But the sound of cars honking and the sight of people rushing through crowds told me that time has been the same since everything started.
Only my world has slowed.

July, August
Summer came to an end.
I felt weaker but I pushed myself,
I got this, only a few more months left.

September, October
Halloween was approaching.
I felt weaker than I ever did before.
But I did not want to miss my favorite time of year, I need to get better.

On October 20th I was told that I was cancer free
Finally in remission, what a relief.
I was overwhelmed with a million emotions.

Now I had nothing to make me weak.
I continued on with my life and became strong again.
Nothing can stop me now,
I am invincible.