Winter Solstice With Desmoid Tumor

Disruptions to the supply chain delay delivery
of my son’s Sorafenib, and we’re down
to a day-and-a-half worth of meds
even though we called in the refill
with a week’s worth of pills in the pack.

Now it’s December twenty-third;
the year, tilting towards light.
The doctor’s office is closed tomorrow.
We’ve let our son run out of chemo
for the holidays.

We haven’t trimmed the tree,
and the LEGO we ordered is delayed.
We’re waiting for the doctor to call.
We’re waiting for the delivery truck.
We’re waiting for the next MRI—
hoping for a little less light,
a little more shadow.

Note: Desmoid tumors are very rare non-malignant tumors. Although non-malignant, they can be locally aggressive and the treatments used to halt or slow their growth include chemotherapies used for malignancies. Sorafenib is one such drug.