Surviving VHL - a poem

Staples, part II

by Keith "Just Sayin'" Richards from his book "Animated Poems," Volume I

Here we go again. This time it’s eight years later.
This time it’s in more than one critical place so the stakes are even greater.

I had checkups before so I knew what was to come wasn’t attractive.
But this time I knew what I was up against so I was proactive.

Doctors here in New York weren’t working fast enough so things were already looking kind of bleak.
But thanks to my mom, I was up in the hospital by the end of the week.

I got myself situated for yet another milestone in my life.
And early Monday morning, there I was once again under the knife.

Coming out I had headaches like you wouldn’t believe and my strength was on a decline.
But compared to any other outcome, this will suit me just fine.

Mom and Dad were there every single step of the way to help me through the pain.
To relay messages and prayers and just to keep me sane.

My sister kept me encouraged to hurry up and get better as time is taxing.
And that I have too much work to do to just sit around relaxing.

Like I said, my strength was dwindling but as time passes I get back more and more.
As I recover I can say that every day is better than the day before.

In cannot thank my friends enough for coming to see me and keep me strong.
They kept me smiling and laughing so the days didn’t seem so long

I received phone calls every day from friends and family with such nice things to say.
Sincerity was overflowing as they just checked to see if I was okay.

Everybody’s adopted me as their own so naturally they all want the right things to be done.
It’s funny because this type of thing brings out the doctor in everyone.

“You don’t want to do anything to get yourself stressed.”
“Don’t you dare rush back to work.” “Make sure you get plenty of rest.”

It’s pretty amazing how a turnaround was made so soon.
For me to go through major brain surgery on Monday morning and be homebound by Saturday afternoon.

People have asked me what I’d like for my birthday this year.
As cliché as it sounds I’m just happy to be here.

I was never afraid of the outcome. My whole attitude was “come what may.”
Because the very God that I served then is the same one that I serve today.

I’m fully aware of whose I am and I’ll never lose sight of who sits on the throne.
It’s a very humbling experience to know that the life your life is so much bigger than your own.

To buy the book, visit this website
To visit Keith’s website, click here

As printed in the VHL Family Forum 19:4, November 2011. For permission to reprint, please contact VHL Family Alliance, editor@vhl.org. Further information is available from the VHL Family Alliance, info@vhl.org.