Cancer: (n.) what Janie has that makes her sick.

Bald and Beautiful: (n.) the fashion style Janie now prefers

Beep Beep: (n.) the sound of Janie’s life

Visiting Hours: (n.) the best hours of the day

Tumor: (n.) Bad

Malignant: (adj.) Worse

Metastasize: (v.) Worst

Crying hours: (n.) the ones after Visiting Hours

Bed surfing: (v.) what Janie does to let the nurses know she cares

Hospital: (n.) Janie’s new home for a while

Oncologist: (n.) the lady who knows the bad, the worse, and the worst and won’t let even that get Janie down.

Chemotherapy: (n.) a way to make Janie better

“The cure is worse than the curse”: (phr.) what Dad always says the day after chemotherapy

Gown: (n.) the clothes Janie wears everyday now. She says it makes her feel like a princess because she could never wear gowns at home.

JG time: (n.) when Mom and Dad take baby Sam with them to go get coffee and Janie lets me climb into bed with her and we imagine we’re flying through space or exploring the ocean or driving race cars and it’s just me and Janie like it used to be.

TV freedom: (n.) Watching tv as much as you want. The only good thing about cancer.

Fighter: (n.) My fourteen year old sister Janie