Preview: THE REMINDER AT THE WINDOW

JENNIFER C. BALL

My Uncle Frank was lying on the couch in our living room when it first happened. He looked to his left to the glass window that normally displays a sizeable evergreen tree in our side yard. That day, we had a surprise visitor. The bird was red with a tiny mohawk and black around the eyes like a raccoon. Tap. Flutter. Tap. Flutter. Tap. The tip of its red beak kept hitting the glass as it flapped its wings. Several months earlier, my family and I were pinning teal ribbons on dark clothing. Teal is the symbol for ovarian cancer, which claimed my Aunt Sue’s life. The cancer had finally taken her, leaving her husband, my Uncle Frank, and two children on Earth. We provided hugs and comfort to her sons and my uncle. Life continued to unfold without Aunt Sue, or so we thought.

While Aunt Sue struggled with ovarian cancer, Uncle Frank took her to doctor appointments and made sure she was as comfortable as possible. Amid the activity, he neglected his own health. He had already survived a bout of kidney cancer a few years before, but he was so busy working and caring for my aunt that he started missing his own doctor appointments. Her needs were more important. He’d return to the doctor after she passed away, he thought. When he did, it was too late. The cancer was back. After a couple months, we realized he was getting worse, and my mom suggested he move in with us to facilitate his care. So he did.

Jennifer Clare Ball is a science writing graduate student at Johns Hopkins University. She lives in Chicago, Illinois, and spends her free time reading, writing, and cycling through the Windy City. Her work has been featured in WIRED, Popular Science, and Sierra Magazine. Find her online at www.jennifercball.com.