SOLITARY CONFINEMENT

SOLITARY  CONFINEMENT

                The door to the room must be kept closed at all times.

 Visitors are strictly limited. No more than two at any time. Their identity virtually hidden behind all enveloping plastic gowns, face masks, hair nets and gloves. Definitely no children. All must pass through a screening process.

Food is tightly controlled and specially prepared. Everything entering the room is checked. No fresh food. No organic material at all that has not been previously agreed to. Definitely no flowers.

Every four hours a fully gowned attendant enters the room and checks on the occupant.

There is no defined duration of one’s stay here. The length of time depends entirely on the say so of four men who control the area from remote offices. You will only leave when they deem you fit to again enter the outside world.

This is the reality of what I have ahead of me beginning tomorrow afternoon.

During my time in “solitary confinement” I will undergo full body radiation, chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. I really have no choice in the matter if I wish to be around in the near future.

I was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in July of 2010 and since then have lived by a very simple philosophy.

There are really only three periods in our lives. Yesterday, Tomorrow and Today.

Yesterday. I cannot change what has happened in the past. I can only learn from it and apply that knowledge to Today.

Tomorrow. Well tomorrow is only a possibility and will be greatly influenced by what I do Today.

Today. This is all we really have. I will enjoy it and cherish it.

If we live in the past we miss out on all that Today has to offer. If we are overly concerned with Tomorrow the same applies.