"awwww I wish I had cancer."
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
Perth, Australia
March 10, 2019 3:46am CST
Sometimes I think about something that happened at school. I forget what grade I was in, possibly grade 5. But this girl joined our class. Her name was Amelia. Amelia had Leukaemia. Very nice girl. And very brave girl for what she had to go through.
Anyway Amelia lived across the street from the school. One day at recess, a bunch of us kids who were all in the same class together saw a limousine pull up at her house. The Make A Wish Foundation arranged for her to go to a different state in Australia to visit the cast from one of her favourite TV shows. As I stood there smiling at her getting into the limousine, some boy said "Awwww I wish I had cancer." I remember standing there thinking how much of a silly thing that was to say. I knew then and know now it was because he was jealous of the things she was getting to enjoy herself. But I'm sure he wouldn't have said that if he knew all the negative things she had to go through with her illness.
I know we were just kids! But sometimes I think about that comment and think how much he probably didn't realise how awful cancer is.
Anyway just wanted to share that story with you. I think about it often. I also wanted to add that even though I don't talk to Amelia anymore, she is on one of my Facebook accounts. She has beaten cancer! And is happily married. I'm so happy for her.
13 people like this
14 responses
@amitkokiladitya (171988)
• Agra, India
10 Mar 19
That is good that she has beaten her cancer. But you should not ne saying this.....Cancer is really deadly.
3 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
10 Mar 19
@amitkokiladitya I am very glad for her! And yeah I'm sure that boy didn't understand how cancer really is. Otherwise he wouldn't have wished for having that illness.
2 people like this
@amitkokiladitya (171988)
• Agra, India
10 Mar 19
@VivaLaDani13 yes...sometimes we say ghivgs without knowing what will happen of they occur for real
2 people like this
@amitkokiladitya (171988)
• Agra, India
10 Mar 19
@KlyliePot hi...how are you doing.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (502573)
• Italy
10 Mar 19
@VivaLaDani13 I wonder what she thought cancer was.
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
10 Mar 19
@LadyDuck Yeah I agree. I don't think he understood what cancer was all about. For some reason this memory has stayed in my mind. Not sure why.
2 people like this
@rsa101 (40987)
• Philippines
13 Mar 19
@VivaLaDani13 Yeah that will remain a mystery indeed since cancer is still elusive to a cure. When something like this happens everybody is really not sure where the cure came from at all. As for the others who wish they have cancer I do hope that they would not get it themselves since they would regret that they wished it if it happens to them.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
12 Mar 19
@rsa101 I don't know. Not sure what helped her exactly. She had been on chemo for a long time so not sure if that was it.
1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23193)
• Bangalore, India
21 Mar 19
Naivety / innocence of childhood. 
He may not even remember making that comment as an adult.
I do, however, remember making comments as a kid without knowing what it meant in my innocence. I still cringe about it when I recall them. They bother me even though I know I was just a kid.
He may not even remember making that comment as an adult.
I do, however, remember making comments as a kid without knowing what it meant in my innocence. I still cringe about it when I recall them. They bother me even though I know I was just a kid.1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
22 Mar 19
@Daljinder I think about things like that sometimes. Things I did or said and it makes me cringe too. 
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
25 Mar 19
@Daljinder oh I wonder why or how that came about. 
Reminds me of how some girls talk to each other. Like close friends saying it to each other. Like calling each other "b*tches" or "sl*ts." I used to get that treatment from a couple of girls who said I was their "great friend." Still makes no sense to me.
Reminds me of how some girls talk to each other. Like close friends saying it to each other. Like calling each other "b*tches" or "sl*ts." I used to get that treatment from a couple of girls who said I was their "great friend." Still makes no sense to me.1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23193)
• Bangalore, India
28 Mar 19
@VivaLaDani13 Not like that. I didn't use it like that. I might have been naive. SHE wasn't. I probably hurt her and that is what bothers me till date. The worse thing is that she most probably wouldn't even remember that such a thing happened. She doesn't really have a good memory. So, I am already forgiven by default, especially when I have never apologized for it.
Let's not talk about it anymore. It's giving me heebie-jeebies.
1 person likes this
@janethwayne (5191)
• Philippines
10 Mar 19
When we are little we don't know if the thing we say is good or not.
2 people like this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
10 Mar 19
@janethwayne I agree with you. I'm sure he wouldn't have said that if he had known what it was really like.
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
10 Mar 19
@dya80dya No I don't think he did. Don't think he understood how serious cancer is.
@cherriefic (10399)
• Philippines
12 Mar 19
That's a great ending! About that boy who said it, maybe he's just into getting that limo ride.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
12 Mar 19
@cherriefic Yeah I'm sure it's because he was jealous while not understanding what cancer is really about.
1 person likes this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
10 Mar 19
i'm so glad she's now cancer-free. i wonder if your classmate remembers her, too?
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
10 Mar 19
@hereandthere Me too. 
I'm sure many do. I don't really talk to any of them anymore but I still have a lot of them on my Facebook and can see that they are friends with her too.
I'm sure many do. I don't really talk to any of them anymore but I still have a lot of them on my Facebook and can see that they are friends with her too.1 person likes this
@TiarasOceanView (70020)
• United States
10 Mar 19
Wow..that is quite a thing to say even in innocence.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
10 Mar 19
@jstory07 Exactly right! I even knew this back then but for some it has been something I've never forgotten about.
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
10 Mar 19
I remember when I was in 3rd or 4th grade, we had one of our classmates who lost her hair because she had to undergo chemotherapy for leukemia. Our teacher helped prepare us for when she came back to class by telling us that she would be wearing a hat because she lost all her hair. But the teacher didn't explain the why behind it, and so when the girl came back several kids teased her. Well, the girl was brave enough to stand up to the teasing, and actually stood up in front of the class to tell everybody what she was going through. I remember how emotional it was, and how touching it was, and how bad it made so many of us feel. I remember on the playground after that a bunch of kids got together and said they wanted to shave their heads in support of her. So we all decided to do it over the weekend, and we came back to school the following Monday and half the kids in the class had shaved their heads in support of the girl. It was incredible how so many of us kids stood by her side to support her.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
11 Mar 19
@moffittjc aw wow! I am glad she was very brave and told everyone what was going on so they could understand and then support her. That's amazing!
One the day Amelia arrived to our class, the teachers hired these professional actors to come out and put on a puppet show. To show us kids what happens and explain other various things about cancer. This was done so we could all have a better understanding and how not to treat her. Luckily, as far as I know she was never bullied. I don't remember much about the show but I do remember one thing. The "puppets" explained that you can not catch cancer from anyone who has it. Which I think was a good idea to say in case anyone did think that.
1 person likes this
@moffittjc (128837)
• Gainesville, Florida
11 Mar 19
@VivaLaDani13 That was really cool of them to put on a puppet show! I never thought about the concern kids may have of "catching" cancer from someone else. Maybe it was explained to us as kids too at the time, but I don't remember anything about it. I don't ever remember being afraid of catching it, or afraid to be near the girl in our class.
Which is really weird, because I remember we had a Japanese girl come to our school, and everybody was afraid of her. She had really slanted eyes like many Asian people do, and for some reason we were afraid to be near her. I felt bad for the poor girl. She did get teased a lot at first, but I think she eventually acclimated in and everyone accepted her, but it's funny now looking back that we were all afraid of her for some reason. Like she was contagious or something and all our eyes would end up like hers or something!
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
11 Mar 19
@moffittjc I've never heard of that before. Not surprised though in a way because I know kids can be very imaginative. As well as spreading rumours that other kids will believe. I'm glad she eventually fit in and others accepted her!
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
11 Mar 19
@Fleura Yeah I agree. And me too. I was over the moon when I heard she was cancer free.
1 person likes this
@VivaLaDani13 (60812)
• Perth, Australia
10 Mar 19
@Sheali I agree with you. So true!
1 person likes this
