A Fantastic Cancer Voyage Chapter 1 IV

From the first moment my wife discovered she had breast cancer, there was a deafening silence from the men I know. Even ones whose wives, mothers or girlfriends had breast cancer seemed to have received a gag order from some Central Cancer Command and did little more than mumble about the experience. Not one to shut up for any known reason, I started this blog…

One of my fondest memories as a kid is watching the movie FANTASTIC VOYAGE. In it, a group of scientists and their ultra-futuristic laser-packing “submarine” are reduced to cell size and injected into the blood vessels of a world diplomat in order to destroy a blood clot in his brain.

What would a FANTASTIC VOYAGE: Breast Cancer look like? I’m going to write a novel here, short chapter by short chapter and I’m going to include the latest research and I’m going to imagine the entire story here for your delectation. Likely it WON’T be once a month…

Dr. Olubunmi Nwagbara – Ohloo to her close friends, Dr. O to those who wouldn’t try her last name for fear of offending her – sat in the uncomfortable hospital chair at the foot of Kim Lin Anzan’s bed.

The woman was supposedly the incarnation of the Buddha; some said she was an avatar of Jesus; still others thought she was the last, best hope of stemming all-out war between the world’s two super powers, India and China.

Ohloo wasn’t sure what she thought, but Kim Lin Anzan had just asked her a question and was waiting for an answer. She sat straight, “In answer to your question…”

“Ah! I thought you had died sitting up!” the woman said. She lay back on the bed. Scanners, pressure patches, sensors and monitors registered every movement of the woman’s body and if Ohloo touched her tablet computer, she would be able to bring up Kim Lin Anzan’s entire profile as well as the latest projections of the time she had left on Earth.

That was the problem. Ohloo said, “Just thinking. We will need to work somewhat quickly. The latest projections…”

Kim Lin Anzan’s smile dropped from her face as she said, “...are truly meaningless, doctor. I could easily will myself to death.”

She closed her eyes and as Ohloo watched, some of her vital signs began to depress. Ohloo gasped and shot to her feet, but before any alarms could go off or other staff could rush into the hospital room, the vitals returned to what had been “stable” a moment before. When Kim Lin Anzan’s eyes opened, she smiled at Ohloo, who said, “Don’t do that again!”

“Why, Dr. Olubunmi Nwagbara?” her pronunciation was perfect. “Did you feel out of control for a moment?”

Ohloo stared down at the woman then finally nodded slowly.

Kim Lin Anzan smiled up at her, “Perfect! You finally believe that you aren’t in control of my cancer.”

“I never said I was!” Ohloo snapped, abruptly angry.

“No, but you felt like you were. I know you are one of the very best in your field, doctor. But I also know that I am more than just a bag of water supporting DNA and a variety of cells – some well and a number of them sick. I am a spiritual being and I do, in many ways control my own destiny. We will need to work together if you’re going to cure me.”

“I won’t be able to cure...”

Kim Lin Anzan lifted a thin hand, smiling tiredly, she said, “I understand what you’re offering me is hope, not a ‘cure’. But for all intents and purposes – and certainly in the eyes of the world’s powerful – you will be effecting a cure. I guarantee now that I will be willing to work with you, young lady.”

“Thank you…”

“But I’m going to extract something from you as well.”

“What do I have that you could want?"

Kim Lin Anzan smiled and with dark brown eyes boring into Ohloo’s soul, she said, “I’m going to want your heart.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Once I recover, I want you to spearhead an effort to bring breast cancer screening and treatment to the poorest of the poor in China and India.”

Ohloo snorted in a most unladylike way. “Their governments would never allow a nominally Christian, black female to work in their countries!”

Kim Lin Anzan raised both eyebrows, “They will if they want my cooperation.”

“What can you possibly do that they can’t?”

“I can win their people – and not a single one of the government officials with whom I deal is not a person. And not a single one of their three billion citizens is not a person – who if they united as one, under one philosophy, could not throw both of the current governments out on their ear.”

“They’d never allow you to do that!”

Kim Lin Anzan lay back and closed her eyes. “They already have, Ohloo. They already have.”

Image: http://medgadget.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/11/Fantastic-Voyage-200x290.jpg