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

to quit, I heard my father’s voice saying, You’ve always been average.

So I studied harder.

I called Megan every night.

“You beat cancer,” she would say. “You can beat organic chemistry.”

When I came home for Thanksgiving during junior year, I saw how thin she had become. Her scrubs hung loose. There were dark shadows under her eyes.

“Mom, what is going continue reading …