Risk is Just Risk
Photo by Alexander Grey on Unsplash
Mom and two daughters
We are extremely close
Despite the years that have passed
The miles that separate
We share so much
Mannerisms
Features
Sense of humor
Passion for homemade pierogis
We share the family name
Both our girls kept it when they married
We also share
Risk
We each have our own story
Risk is just risk
Not a guarantee
I became their risk factor
A first degree relative diagnosed
Before the age of forty
They have lived with this for most of their lives
Not always knowing what it meant
When I went to the hospital the first time
They thought I was going to have a baby
That’s why moms go to hospitals, right?
They were only three and five
Their understanding has changed
When I went to the hospital the second time
During that dark period known as lockdown
They were familiar with the challenges of adulthood
They had loving partners to support them
You can’t go crying to mom
When mom is the one you are crying about
We each have our own story
Risk is just risk
Not a guarantee
They need to be alert
But not anxious
They need to be wise
But not worried
As time progresses
Better screening is available
More treatments are developed
They may not need any of it
By the grace of the one who created them
The one who knows every detail of their being
We each have our own story
Risk is just risk
Not a guarantee
• • • • •
Look for this poem and other stories in the Mothers & Daughters issue (December 2024 / January 2025) of Wildfire Magazine.
www.wildfirecommunity.org @wildfire_bc_magazine