Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Porcelain Soldier: Discovering Gratitude in Cancer
    Porcelain Soldier: Discovering Gratitude in Cancer
    Porcelain Soldier: Discovering Gratitude in Cancer
    Ebook95 pages1 hour

    Porcelain Soldier: Discovering Gratitude in Cancer

    By Kelli Davis

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    At age twenty-eight, Kelli Davis is young, in a promising relationship, and has just embarked on an exciting, fulfilling career that she is passionate about and is taking her places. Then, one night, she is rushed to the emergency room for severe pain in her arm, and is discharged three hours later with a completely unexpected diagnosis: cancer.

    Disposition—Discharged: The patient was discharged ambulatory accompanied by significant other. The significant other is ready, alert, and willing to learn. The patient’s diagnosis, condition, and treatment were explained to the patient and the patient expressed understanding.

    With doctors by her side, Kelli finds comfort in adhering to a strict medical plan, but there is no prescription for how to live life after cancer. Porcelain Soldier: Finding Gratitude in Cancer is an intimate, honest journey that follows Kelli as she attempts to answer the questions “Why did I get cancer?” and “What am I supposed to learn from it?”, allowing readers to see and feel her struggles to regain a so-called normal life.
    If Kelli were to walk out of those same hospital doors today, she would rewrite her discharge report this way:
    Disposition—Discharged: The patient was discharged ambulatory accompanied by a greater sense of being. The future significant other will appreciate vulnerability, celebrate wisdom, and mean the words “in sickness and in health.” The patient’s diagnosis, condition, and treatment were explained to the patient and the patient expressed understanding, gratefulness, desire to recognize and appreciate the lessons cancer has to offer, and a great outlook on tomorrow.

    A book written from the heart, Porcelain Soldier gives a glimpse inside the delicate balance of strength and frailty that exists when battling cancer.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKelli Davis
    Release dateAug 8, 2011
    ISBN9781935953258
    Porcelain Soldier: Discovering Gratitude in Cancer

    Related to Porcelain Soldier

    Related ebooks

    Biography & Memoir For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      The Last hang Over

      Jan 18, 2024

      The Last hang Over
      7 min read

    • Article

      Good BEHAVIOR

      Jan 28, 2022

      Good BEHAVIOR
      14 min read

    • Article

      Worst hangover EVER

      Aug 5, 2021

      Worst hangover EVER
      5 min read

    • Article

      Better Man

      Jan 4, 2024

      Better Man
      6 min read

    • Article

      What If One Day…

      Apr 28, 2020

      What If One Day…
      6 min read

    • Article

      Tell No One

      Aug 27, 2019

      Tell No One
      6 min read

    • Article

      Shrapnel

      Apr 21, 2022

      On December 14, 2012, a gunman entered Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut, and murdered twenty-six people. Twenty of them were first graders. I have a hard time remembering that number. I have to look it up every time I mention it.

      7 min read

    • Article

      Taking Control

      Jul 9, 2020

      Staring at the familiar green lettering ahead, I took a deep breath. Sat in my car at my local Asda car park, I clung on to the steering wheel, sweat dripping from my palms. You can do this , I thought, trying to convince myself to get out of the ca

      5 min read

    • Article

      Strength Training

      Mar 25, 2023

      Strength Training
      7 min read

    • Article

      I Was A Secret ALCOHOLIC

      May 17, 2022

      I Was A Secret ALCOHOLIC
      5 min read

    • Article

      Drastic Measures

      Jul 1, 2021

      Drastic Measures
      5 min read

    • Article

      “I Made You a Fighter”

      Apr 28, 2020

      “I Made You a Fighter”
      6 min read

    • Article

      Finding My Words

      Oct 25, 2022

      Finding My Words
      11 min read

    • Article

      Out From The Shadows

      Apr 25, 2019

      Out From The Shadows
      6 min read

    • Article

      “I Escaped My Grandfather’s Sex Cult”

      Mar 16, 2022

      I was born into the Family, a religious movement founded in Huntington Beach, California, in 1968 by my grandfather David Brandt Berg, with help from his four children, including my father, Hosea. It was known as the Children of God in its early days

      8 min read

    • Article

      Unstoppable At 60

      Aug 19, 2023

      Unstoppable At 60
      9 min read

    • Article

      Final Determination

      May 10, 2023

      Living people get a lot wrong about the After Life. It isn’t binary Heaven or Hell but a spectrum where most people end up somewhere better than their Earthly life. There’s also a state of Abeyance where you stay if you have unfinished business. For

      12 min read

    • Article

      Rise Of The Prince

      Sep 1, 2019

      Rise Of The Prince
      7 min read

    • Article

      Me and My Menopause

      May 13, 2019

      Me and My Menopause
      4 min read

    • Article

      Road To Recovery

      Jul 15, 2021

      Road To Recovery
      7 min read

    • Article

      From The Editor

      Oct 11, 2017

      Let’s talk of what’s good in the world. It’s easy to forget what’s going well when there’s so much focus on what’s going wrong. The news cycle seems to turns on crime and environmental disasters and economic crises and autocrats. When you ask someone

      4 min read

    • Article

      Love. Loss. Weakness. Shame.

      Feb 9, 2023

      Love. Loss. Weakness. Shame.
      7 min read

    • Article

      Sabrina Cohen-Hatton

      Sep 20, 2021

      Sabrina Cohen-Hatton
      5 min read

    • Article

      ‘If You Lose Hope, YOU LOSE EVERYTHING’

      Apr 2, 2024

      Currently battling cancer for the fourth time, Linda Nolan is nothing short of inspirational. Despite the challenges that life has thrown at her, including losing her husband of 26 years, Brian, in 2007, she remains a powerhouse of positivity, which

      3 min read

    • Article

      Shells: Picking Apart Pain and Womanhood

      Jun 7, 2018

      The skin on the bottoms of my feet is so hard that I have felt a dull ache somewhere in my heel after running miles barefoot on the beach; not until I pull my foot up on my knee do I realize that a small, sharp shell has dug in and stuck inside the c

      11 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Porcelain Soldier

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Porcelain Soldier - Kelli Davis

      Porcelain Soldier

      Discovering Gratitude in Cancer

      by

      Kelli Davis

      Published by Authority Publishing at Smashwords

      Copyright © 2011 by Kelli Davis All rights reserved.

      Some names and identifying details of people described in this book have been altered to protect their privacy.

      Smashwords Edition, License Notes

      This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional when appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, personal, or other damages.

      1. BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Personal Memoirs

      2. HEALTH & FITNESS / Diseases / Cancer 3. MEDICAL / Oncology

      ISBN: 978-1-935953-25-8

      Original Copyright © 2011 by Kelli Davis

      Revised Edition

      This book is available in print at www.porcelainsoldier.com

      * * *

      Table of Contents

      Chapter One - Bomb Dropped

      Subtle Signs

      Calm Before the Storm

      September 22, 2006

      Chapter Two - Standing at Ease

      Full of Life

      Fearless Leader

      Chapter Three - Building an Army

      I Have Something to Tell You

      Lab Rat

      Chapter Four - Battle Outcome: Live

      Guided by Strategy

      Chapter Five – War

      Combat Cancer

      In Sickness and in Health

      In the Trenches

      Puzzle Pieces

      Chapter Six – Treaty

      Bottle the Feeling

      Chapter Seven – Wounds

      Aftermath

      Remains of Ammunition

      Mourning

      Social Trauma

      Chapter Eight - Battle Outcome: Die

      Two Possible Destinies

      Declaration of Peace

      * * *

      This book is dedicated to Kirby, Nic, and Erik. Thank you for displaying how to maintain true character despite facing adversity at a young age.

      * * *

      Chapter 1 : Bomb Dropped

      Subtle Signs

      I am cautious when I tell the initial diagnosis. I don’t want to scare people, as it could have been anyone. I watch people get tense and after our conversation feel like they need to run to the doctor and have every scan possible. That is probably not necessary. As in everything in life, there were subtle signs...just not ones that, at twenty-eight, I would have ever correlated to cancer.

      The weekend prior to the diagnosis seemed normal. Saturday night was our ten-year high school reunion. A close friend rented a hotel room and filled it with our own bar. We could ride the elevator up and get what we wanted and head back down to the reunion. It was like the VIP suite at the reunion. Just one more way to show we were successful after graduation...really, who cares, but it seemed like a fun idea. I was getting ready for the reunion, excited but a bit exhausted. I chose to wear jeans (one of the few attendees who did), as I just didn’t have the energy to get dressed up.

      I insisted on taking my own car. Just in case my friends wanted to stay out late, I wouldn’t be stranded. This was nothing out of the ordinary, as I have never been one to hang until the wee hours of the morning. I had a drink or two and said hi to some old friends. After a couple hours, I felt like I had been there all night. To avoid making a scene, and listening to every friend beg and reason with me to stay, I slipped out the front door and got my car in valet. I looked at the clock. It was only 9:00. I had only made it two hours and was ready for bed. It’s been a long week of traveling for work, but still, I’m more tired than anyone else my age...I must have cancer. Nope, didn’t cross my mind.

      I was on an outdoor soccer team and I showed up for the game that Sunday. After about three quarters of the game I asked for a substitute. I was done. I felt lightheaded and threw up in a bush. Nothing alarming or out of the ordinary, as it was over one hundred degrees in Sacramento. My brother was on the team and felt similar effects from the heat. Nothing to run to the ER about. I threw up after running for forty-five minutes in the Sacramento heat...I must have cancer. Nope, didn’t cross my mind.

      I have always been of average size. And like any other girl, it felt good when people would compliment my weight. I had lost a few pounds and people were saying, Wow, you look great. I ate what everyone else ate. In fact, probably more. I distinctly remember my dad sitting me down one night and telling me we needed to talk. The dreaded father/daughter talks. He was concerned I was anorexic and had brought a couple pamphlets home from work. I could not stop laughing. I thought he was losing his mind. All I could think about was the big ice cream sundae I had the night before. He proceeded to ask my best friend Jaime if there was any reason to be concerned. She said I had lost weight, but always ate. I quickly explained that I was always on the go, super stressed with work and playing soccer. I am starting to lose weight without a diet...I must have cancer. Nope, didn’t cross my mind.

      At the time I was working for a

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1