Choosing To Smile

Book Excerpts

Excerpt from Glenda's Story

... I lifted my hands from the wheel to cover my face as I felt the car slip over the embankment and begin to roll sideways. The snow seemed to muffle the sound of crunching metal and breaking glass. I don’t know how many times the car rolled but I found myself hanging upside down inside what had been my beautiful little yellow Maverick. It came to rest at the bottom of the embankment with its wheels spinning in the air and smoke pouring from the engine. I looked up at the steep bank of snow out my driver’s side window and realized with surprise that the window wasn’t broken. I was suspended upside down by my seat belt. Something red and sticky was covering my head and shoulders. A jar of canned tomatoes had broken and the contents had spilled all over me. I didn’t feel injured but the smoke was beginning to worry me. I’d seen enough TV movies where cars exploded after they went over embankments and I felt a sense of urgency to get out.

I unrolled the window and yelled, “Help! Please, someone help me!” I felt a little foolish after I called for help, because I realized that there was no possible way for anyone to hear me, let alone see me. The tire tracks were already being covered by the pounding snow. If I was going to get out, I had to do it by myself. I reached over and undid my seatbelt. I suppose I fell onto the roof but I don’t remember. I crawled through the open driver’s window and made my way up the embankment in the snow. Somehow I’d managed to lose my right shoe and was climbing with one bare foot digging into the hill. I don’t remember feeling cold, just determined to get to the top. When I reached the snow-covered road, I looked down at my car and it seemed so far away. The bicycle had come off the roof rack on the first roll and lay in a bent, snow-covered heap in the path the tumbling car had cleared. The car’s wheels were still slowly turning – I didn’t notice if the motor was still running or not but I do remember thinking, “Oh my poor car!”

I stood on the road, with my bare right foot raised in the air – I was feeling the cold now. I was hopping up and down waving my arms at invisible traffic – trying to flag down a car – but nobody was out in weather like this. The road was empty – not a car in sight. I heard myself say, “Help! Oh God, somebody please help!” and suddenly a pickup truck appeared at the top of the hill headed towards me. I frantically waved my arms for them to stop but they kept on driving right past me…

Excerpt from Michelle's Story

We were scheduled to leave for China at the end of February. I had one final appointment for travel shots on a Friday. It had been really busy for me at work, and getting all the arrangements made for my leave of absence, our medical coverage, my car, my payments, and so on. Friday afternoon before my appointment, I was sitting at my desk and rested my head in my hands. As I touched my neck I felt a lump! My heart sank. I went to the travel doctor and got my last vaccinations. I asked him if he could check something out for me and feel my neck. He did and was taking his time. He said that I should get that checked out right away. I asked him how soon, and his reply was “Go directly to the walk-in clinic when you leave my office.”

I couldn’t believe this was happening to me. Was there a possibility that the cancer was back? I was about to leave the country for six months. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I drove directly to the walk-in clinic. I saw a doctor and told him my cancer history, and that I had just discovered a lump in my neck. He examined me and again, I saw the seriousness in his face. Damn it! This can’t happen! That second doctor suggested that I see my family doctor right away on Monday morning. He would send his report over to my doctor.

I had to get through the weekend with these thoughts going around in my head. What if it was cancer again? I guess that would answer everything. We just wouldn’t go on the trip and I’d have to deal with it. I tried not to think about the lump. I kept checking, and it was still there. As soon as Monday came, I called and got to see my family doctor, Dr. W., right away. He knew about my travel plans and he had confirmed that I was healthy enough to travel to China only a few weeks ago, and was helping the girls and me with the necessary medical preparations.

Dr. W examined my neck and grew concerned. He didn’t know what it was, and wanted an ultrasound done at the hospital immediately. I was really scared and asked him “What about the trip?” He said “We have to see the results of the ultrasound first before we can make any decisions.” The ultrasound was booked for 2:30 on Wednesday at the hospital. I told Darren about the situation and of course he knew how worried I was although I was trying to downplay it. He offered to go to the hospital with me and I said no, that wasn’t necessary….

Excerpt from Julie's Story

In September of 1977, we went on a holiday to Ibiza, in Spain. We stayed in a hotel that had a main reception building with rooms that were in terraces on the hillside. The food was not that great, but we still were having a good time. But then the weather took a dramatic change for the worse. We were on the way back from exploring the island on rented scooters when we noticed the dark black clouds.

By that evening, we were in the middle of the worst storm I have ever seen. We were playing cards and drinking sangria in the main reception area when one of the waiters opened the back patio doors. Within a second, a deluge of water rushed through the lobby. The waiters responded by opening the doors at the front of the lobby. In a few more minutes there was a stream of water running through the lobby that was knee high. We still thought that we would be safer in the lobby than in our hillside room.

The flamboyant waiter rushed through the lobby with a tray of drinks held high above his head. He was quite a ladies’ man who loved to show off his skills carrying the tray high. However, the water had made the floor slippery and his feet flew from under him and the drinks spattered around the room. This was a very funny sight, causing everyone to collapse in howls of laughter. The waiter got to his feet with an indignant look on his face, and suddenly there was a loud noise from above, and a large crack appeared on the ceiling. The laughter died down immediately, and then the lights went out.

“I think we need to get out of here.” I said in a mildly panicked voice.

The crack in the ceiling was enough to send us out into the storm to try to find our rooms. As we tried to climb the small incline to our room, we were shocked at the power of the storm. The continuous yellow streaks of lightning gave the night sky the appearance of being intermittently floodlit. We started to make our way to the rooms with the thunder claps breaking all around us. The walkway to our room was a torrential river that made it very hard to progress up the hill.

“The water is so strong it’s pushing me back,” I gasped.

“Get down on your hands and knees it will be easier,” Graham said while holding my hand tight.

We slowly clambered up the hill to our room, on our hands and knees against the fast flowing water with Graham still holding tight to one of my hands.

When we finally reached our room, it was very dark so we felt our way in and to our dismay found that the room was flooded and our suitcases were floating. We grabbed the cases and put them on one of the twin beds and then the two of us fell in to the other twin bed. Cuddled together, we drifted off to sleep as we listened to the storm still raging outside. As we lay in the bed listening to the torrential rain and loud thunder, I was almost afraid to go to sleep.

I whispered, “I hope we don’t wake up floating in the sea.”

“We won’t, trust me,” said Graham............

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