Say Cheese

An Excerpt from Invincible, My Upcoming Memoir

Buy me a coffee here. Thank you for empowering women’s voices.

Invincible ~ Braving 1-in-a-billion odds, a new mom duels with death and chooses life as she faces a triple diagnosis of MS, Chordoma cancer, and brain tumors in what ultimately becomes a spiritual quest to save her physical self.

Come on, come on. I tapped my foot at turbo speed as I waited for my name to be called. Glancing at my watch for the umpteenth time- one hour, 17 minutes, and counting. I looked at the posters lining the wall across from me. Women over 40, did you get your annual mammogram? How about your flu shot? Hep A and B vaccinations, anyone? 10 quick questions to assess your mental health. In the last 30 days, did you have trouble sleeping, eating, or paying attention to a conversation? Yes, yes, and yes.

“Cas…Ummm, Ca-Candy?” A woman squinting at a clipboard tentatively called out to a jam-packed waiting room.

I raised my hand, “I’m Candra.”

“Date of birth?” Fiddling with something in her hand, she nearly dropped the clipboard.

“May 24, 1974.”

She ushered me through the door.

“Left or right?” She waved a hospital wristband toward me.

“Left,” I offered her my wrist.

Without missing a beat, she slapped the identification bracelet on, then picked up her pace.