Trigger warning- this is a painful poem that describes the anguish of a parent who needs to give consent for a life-saving procedure for her child, something like a transplant, that is the child’s only chance to live, but comes with a long list of potential complications.
In a meeting room with walls that are bare
I sit, wringing my hands anxiously, aware
That as parents we are expected to pay attention
To take notes for reference, ask questions
But I am a nervous wreck as with my husband I wait
To be explained the life-saving procedure to change our child’s fate
This is the process of informed consent that we must go through
It suggests we have a choice but I don’t think we really do
*
The team before us seems well-versed in their spiel
Although the tone suggests the procedure is not a big deal
They go through major, sometimes life-threatening complications
In much detail, as I try to absorb the implications
Of undergoing this procedure- I wonder how other parents
After hearing these details are able to give consent
When so many things can go wrong, how do you choose
What is supposedly life-saving, when life you can almost lose
Especially for your child, how do you make this decision
How would you forgive yourself if there arose a serious complication…
*
As the information session comes to a conclusion
One message rings clear through this confusion
We are caught between a rock and a hard place
We cannot wish the disease away, we have to face
The reality that the choice is between death and a chance to live
And what parent on this planet would not that chance give
To their precious child, so our decision is made
We sign the consent and prepare to wade
In turbulent waters for the future foreseeable
We have to get through a challenge formidable
*
All the complications that in the realm of possibility reside
I clear from my head, I hope luck shall be on our side
I concentrate only on the procedure’s benefit and pray
That my child shall live to see many, many more days
Passion...unbridled 