Chapter 1: The Superheroes Who Showed Up
Every doctor treating my 7-year-old daughter for cancer dressed up as superheroes for her birthday — she was already crying with joy when her oncologist knelt down and said, "There's one part of today your mom doesn't know about either."
My 7-year-old daughter, Alice, has been fighting cancer for almost a year.
It's been awful.
Chemo, needles, nausea, days when she's too weak to even sit up in bed.
But somehow, she's still the kid making everyone else smile.
Alice has this huge, goofy grin that lights up her whole face, and she's always cracking little jokes with the nurses, even on her worst days.
Her other big obsession is superheroes.
She has a whole collection of little superhero figures, and since getting sick, they've become part of her hospital routine.
She lines them up beside her bed, clips one to her IV pole, and always picks a "chemo buddy" before treatment.
So when I realized we'd be spending her birthday in the hospital, my heart sank.
I figured I'd bring a cake, decorate her room a little, and make the best of it.
But that morning, Alice's oncologist told us he needed to step out for a few minutes.
When the door opened again, Superman walked in.
Alice just stared.
Then Wonder Woman appeared behind him.
Batman.
Spider-Man.
Captain America.
One after another, the doctors and nurses who'd been caring for her stepped into the room dressed as her favorite superheroes.
Alice lost it.
She was laughing and crying so hard she could barely get a word out.
She kept pointing at everyone and going, "No way!"
I was standing beside her bed, crying right along with her.
I couldn't believe they'd done all of this just to make my little girl happy.
Then her oncologist, still dressed as Superman, walked over and knelt beside her bed.
"There's one part of today your mom doesn't know about either."
Alice immediately looked at me.
I had absolutely no idea what he meant.
Her oncologist glanced around at the other doctors, then back at Alice.
His whole expression changed, and what he revealed next completely stunned me.
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What did Alice's doctor say that even her mom didn't know?
Comment **"WOW"** if you want Part 2 — it's in the comments below.
