A Dance of Life 

 

dedicated to Dorothy…

 

            She turned her eyes to the ground in absolute concentration. No mistakes now. This was it - the finale to months of hard work. She knew she didn’t have to fear. He was here. And He would always be with her. She closed her eyes for a split second. The emotions surged through her entire being. No, she would not be deterred. She opened her eyes. Then it began. The music filled the senses of all around. She raised her arms in one seemingly effortless motion, in sync with the rhythm of the beat. Her feet began their graceful movement, at one with the rest of her. The dance had begun. 

            A young girl, barely twelve, yet faced with the harsh reality of life at a tender age. She was no friend to cancer. Yet it sought her out as though it was on a trail of vengeance. Leukemia they called it, a slow progressing form of blood cancer that would result in the unrestrained proliferation of rebel blood cells on the warpath. It was a disease that would consume her from within, forcing her to fight a battle from the inside. No easy road. Not for a little girl just on the transition into adolescence, not even if she were many years older and a veteran warrior in the ways of life. 

            The path ahead appeared dark and gloomy, and many hours of warfare endured. Chemotherapy they called it, using chemicals or drugs to attack at those insurgent body cells. But the battle was far from over. The siege had only begun. They attacked her day after day – those rebel cells, weakening her from within; breaking down her defences. And they tore at the emotions too, bit by bit breaking her mind, breaking her spirit. But she fought on. 

            Then one day He appeared, glowing with a radiance never seen before. And He spoke words of love deep into her heart. And she knew He was the One. And she knew she couldn’t do without Him. So she asked Him to take care of her all the days of her life. Thus began the dance of her life. It was a dance of hope, a dance of freedom, a dance of life. 

            Just after her fourteenth birthday, she received the news it was finally over. The battle had been won. No more cells at war. No more leukemia. She was overjoyed. Gleefully she closed her eyes and turned them to the heavens. Raising her arms in widespread wonder, she knew it was He who had won the war. And He would always keep her safe. 

            But it was not to be for long. Just a year later, fresh reports broke the news that all was not as well as believed. The insurgent cells had taken up battle positions again - this time in the bone marrow. She shook her head in disbelief; her watery eyes a reflection of the wellspring of emotions bubbling within. Why had He allowed this to happen? Why couldn’t He have stopped the cancer for good? So many questions, and she knew she didn’t have the answers. She blinked away the tears, turning her eyes once more to the heavens. Only He knew the answer. Only He knew why all these things were happening. 

            The young girl swayed to the rhythm of the music; now almost sixteen, but with features that seemed so much older. She was still no veteran warrior in the ways of life, still fresh with the yearnings of adolescence. But she knew that beyond the highs and lows of life, the dance remains through it all. Focus on the music. Focus on the movements. Focus on the dance. She knew she wanted to dance, a dance of hope, a dance of freedom, a dance of life.

   
This article was written by Mark Lim Shan-Loong on 18th October 2003. It was written in support of Dorothy's leukemia treatment. Please refer to  http://www.leukemiafighters.org/  for more details.

 

Comments? Email marklsl@pacific.net.sg to share your thoughts.

 

Words from the Heart