"The Longest Day" by David Inserra
– The pain was excruciating.
I closed my eyes. I listened. I breathed. I tried to stay calm.
David Inserra lives on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina with his wife Ellen Titus and their dog, Mindy. David’s most recent work appears in the PSPP release, ‘Lost & Found.’ He is a member of the Island Writers Network and works at the local Unitarian Church. David’s first novel, a speculative thriller titled ‘In Your Own Backyard,’ is currently being queried to agents. He is also a musician who has written over 400 songs, most being about his wife. Visit davidinserra.weebly.com.
Author’s Talk
On occasion, the best of us can baffle the top medical brains of our country’s finest hospitals. They will give you percentages. “This is rare. Only 1.8% of the people with Meningiomas have tumors in this area.” And they will make suggestions. “There are three choices to possibly remedy your double vision. You can have surgery, receive Gamma Knife Radiation or live with it.” That sort of thing.
David Inserra
For those of you who remember Bruce Banner from the Marvel Comics, you might recall that Banner experienced an accidental overdose of Gamma Radiation. That’s how he became the Incredible Hulk, the humongous green monster. People found him terrifying. Yet on the TV show with Bill Bixby, Banner’s true heart came through. This seemed like a no-brainer. I didn’t want them cutting into my head and I couldn’t live with the double vision. So, I chose radiation. One wrong flip of the switch and I could become the new Hulk. Sounded kind of cool.
At the hospital I had nothing to do but think and try not to get anxious. They screwed a one-foot square metal frame into my head and the waiting began. I joked with my wife and tried to keep a positive attitude.
Only three people a day had this procedure. One’s husband was too nervous and waited in the car forcing his wife to go through it alone. One spent all day crying. And then there was me. I used humor and tried to make the best of the situation. All the time praying for a resolution, if and when the tumor died.
It has been two and a half years since that longest day. The last MRI showed no change in the tumor. I continue to function in this world of overwhelming brain stimulation. I haven’t lost hope. But right now, clear vision seems to be hiding somewhere in my future.
Even with double vision, I am able to write. My focus continues to be a speculative thriller novel, yet under the surface it is a love story. Two of my pieces appear in previous PSPP books. One tells the story of how I met my amazing wife and the other is a drama about an experience in my mother’s life.
Thank you to Personal Story Publishing Project / Daniel Boone Footsteps for giving us this forum. And thank you to all the great writers in these volumes for sharing your love of words.
