My Friend in the Muumuu

My chemo treatments had become routine. Xeloda twice a day at home, Oxyplain once a week in the doctor’s office. Today was Wednesday. Time for Oxyplatin.

Nurse Betty smiled and called my name. We walked to treatment room B. The door was left open. Nurse Betty took my vitals. Tried to get comfortable. Patients passed my open door. A bald woman dressed in a brilliantly colored Hawaiian muumuu dropped a large canvas bag to rest and peeked into my room.

“Good morning. How are you ?”

“Ok I guess…”

“What type of cancer do you have?”

“Stage three colon cancer. And you?”

“Ovarian.”

“What do you have in your bag there?”

She recited a list of items from memory. Magazines, a thick mystery novel, water bottles, snacks, walkman cassette player and new age relaxation tapes in a ziplock bag.

“How long is your chemo treatment?”

“Eight hours. And yours?”

“One hour.”

“I don’t know what your treatment is like. Did you bring a book?”

“Angels and Demons by Dan Brown.”

“Do you have a bookmark?”

“No. I use scrap paper”

“Here is a stainless steel bookmark. I got a bunch from my sister. I think you will like it.”

I smiled and thanked her for the gift. She picked up her bag and disappeared.



I was shocked. The lady in the muumuu had to endure eight hours of chemo!

Oh. My God.

I was lucky!

I will be out of here in one hour.



Nurse Betty entered my room with two clear bags, closed the door, hung a bag of saline solution and a bag of Oxyplatin over my head, put a needle in my left hand, adjusted the drip, checked her watch, made a note on my chart and asked how am I doing.

“Fine thanks.”

She disappeared. I read my book. The cold chemo creped up my arm. I tried to read with bookmark in place. Oxyplain knocked me out cold. I opened my eyes Rick was standing in the doorway to drive me home. In four hours I recovered. My friend in the muumuu was still sitting in a chemo chair for three more hours as I sat in a lounge chair watching Seabisket on a large screen TV and nibbled on mac and cheese.

I never saw my friend in the muumuu again. I don’t know her name. Don’t know if she is still alive. Still have the ACCO Stainless steel bookmark (made in Taiwan). Now holding my place in a Kurt Wallender mystery The Pyramid by Henning Mankell.