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. If you want to start at the
beginning, look left. Scroll down to LABELS. The first one is “A Fantastic
Cancer Voyage”. Click on it. Scroll to the bottom and you will find episode on.
Let me know what you think after you’ve read the whole thing!
Dr. Olubunmi Nwagbara – Ohloo to her friends, if not her
family – said, “What did you say?”
Her father, the Chief Right Honorable Mister Nnamdi Oko
Nwagbara, Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of West Africa – a power to
contend with on Earth since the base of the first space elevator was under
construction two hundred kilometers inland of the capital of Gabon, a world
power in itself after it opened its doors for business with companies wishing
to do genetic engineering with limited restrictions. For that reason she felt
justified saying, “On what grounds could you possibly object, Father? Your
Commonwealth promotes and protects the most profound genetic engineering on the
planet.”
In one motion, he swept the back of his robe of office under
his backside and sat down on a stool as Di brought in a plate of freshly fried
plantain. Ohloo shot her a look, which Di mostly ignored except for a slight
rise in her thick eyebrows. He sampled one of the obliquely sliced fruits after
shaking a bit of salt on it, nodded as he smiled, and said, “I’d never object
to your taking monolithic leaps in technology, Boomie,” Ohloo winced at the
family name. “We have half the nations of the world pounding on our doors trying
to force us to change our laws to “keep the world safe from wild genes” while
at the same time entertaining those same countries after hours because they
want a piece of the action.” He shook his head, enjoying the treat.
“Why are you here then?”
Popping the last slice into his mouth, he wiped his fingers
on a convenient towel, studied her for some time, then said, “While I never
expected my children to blindly follow our beliefs...”
Ohloo stood up. She’d jumped to her feet in fear as well as
anger, covering the reflex by going to her refrigerator and taking out a can of
Diet Coke. She said, “I have a six pack of Green Sands Shandy. Want one?”
“Cold? I’d love it. Thank you.”
They settled on their stools again. Her father doggedly
continued as if there’d been no interlude, “...I hardly expected one of them to
embrace another world religion.”
“Father, I’m not converting to Buddhism. I’m trying to help
a woman with breast cancer who just happens to be one of the best hopes for
peace in the Sino-Indo conflict. Wouldn’t your Jesus want me to do this if it
would help to bring His peace to a hurting world?” She sighed. Her
justification seemed weak even to her.
Her father didn’t make a face though. He studied her for
some time, his gaze more open than she’d seen it in some time. Finally he said,
“I believe you, Boomie. But what about the rest of the world?”
She opened her mouth to tell him what the rest of the world
could go do with itself, then she closed her mouth. While he was perfectly
capable of turning the air blue with cursing and invective – and had been known
to do so during particularly vexing sessions of the West African Congress – in his
personal life, he eschewed curses, oaths, and vulgarity. She took a deep
breath, using one of the mantras Hirini had lent her silently, then said, “All
right, then. What about the rest of the world? First of all, you of all people
know you can’t please everyone.” He nodded. “You of all people know that you
can’t please God.” She leaned back, waiting to see how that one would settle.
He opened his lips, pressed them together between two
fingers, then said, “It is true. I can do nothing to please God. My hope is in
Jesus Christ alone.”
She nodded slowly, startled by the unusual candor. Following
his lead, she said, “I have no god anymore, Ediye. So I don’t try to please.
But I want to help the world. I want to be a tiny instrument in the hands of
all the world’s people to bring possible peace. I can do that by treating this
woman – whether she believes as you do or not. I think she can bring peace to
Earth.” She closed her eyes and waited for the tirade sure to follow her
declaration of faith-less-ness…
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