My Nights with Leukemia
by Michael W. Perry
In the first section of My Nights with Leukemia, by Michael W. Perry, the author changes his opinion on working on a night shift at the hospital with kids who have leukemia. Michael explains the path that led him to the job. To relax from his stressful job, he started mountain climbing. After getting hurt a few times, he decided to learn how to handle emergencies so he took a course to be an EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). He passed the test and his first assignment was a job at a hospital. The only job for people starting out was the night shift in the pediatric department taking care of children with cancer. He did not want to work a night shift or take care of really sick kids. After a couple of months, though, Michael realized that he actually really liked working there and that it was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life. "Today, when I tell friends about what I did then, they usually become shocked, and wonder how anyone could do that. 'No,' I feel like screaming. 'It wasn't what you think. If you'd been in my situation, you'd have probably felt like I did. I wanted to work there. I didn't want to do anything else.'"(13). In the next few chapters, Michael explains what lessons he learned about leukemia and what it takes to take care of very sick children. He explains how even in adversity, you can find beauty.
Perry, Michael W. My Nights with Leukemia. Auburn: Inkling Books, 2013.
"Children with a Blood Cancer." Leukaemia Foundation.
http://www.leukaemia.org.au/living-well/children-with-a-blood-cancer
