My parents abandoned me in a hospital at 13 because my ca.nc.er treatment was “too expensive.” 15 years later, hearing I was the Valedictorian of Columbia University College, they demanded VIP tickets

them without once lifting her eyes from her phone.

The door clicked shut.

And in that moment, I realized the cancer was not the scariest thing in the room.

My first night in the pediatric oncology ward felt endless. I lay in a narrow hospital bed, attached to IV lines and surrounded by machines that beeped quietly in the dark. Rain streaked down the window.continue reading …