Her face looks fierce and ready
To those who see her from the stands.
Doubt creeps in, saying “You can’t win”
Sweating palms and shaking hands.
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She looks closely at her target
And the reputation that precedes it.
If stats are right, she’s the underdog
Not a chance that she can beat it.
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“Please pinch me, I must be dreaming”
But this truth she can’t erase.
The bell rings, crowd roars, she’s in the ring
Staring death right in the face.
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Her opponent knocks her down quickly
But she won’t let the count hit ten
She pulls up to her feet, wobbly and weak
And she repeatedly cries out, “AGAIN!”
Bleeding, bruised, and broken
Half alive from what she brought.
She chokes down pain and grits her teeth
And says, “Is that all you’ve got?”
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Jab, right cross, and upper cut
Her opponent takes her hit by hit.
If she absorbs another sucker punch
She might stay down and quit.
“Be strong and courageous” she recalls
but the truth is, she’s terrified.
The last hit pounds, she hits the ground
“Stay down or get up,” she must decide.
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Face down on the floor she turns her head
Through blurred eyes she sees her love
He believes that she can, he reaches out his hand,
The crowd roars as she puts back on her glove.
She would never stop fighting as she realizes
Every hit was worth fighting for.
She lifts a prayer to the heavens, found strength within seconds
She yelled louder than ever, “Once More!”
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Countless hands picked her up so she stays in the ring
Until her opponent finally hits the ground.
The count hit ten, her love ran in,
The fighter was victoriously crowned.
As they step out of the ring she is surprised
As they both step into another.
This one more disguised, expected to be fine
Called ,”The Survivor: Fighter Undercover.”
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The forgotten ones, the “healed”,
Low crowds because “everything’s alright.”
Scars and souvenirs follow, but again she won’t wallow
She’s focused and in a different fight.
The fight never ends and she knows that now
Rather than be bitter, she knows what else she can do.
She hangs out at the rings, you’ll find her in the bleachers
Because now the fighter is a cheerleader for you.
This poem was written for my dear friend, Sabrina, as she is fighting for her life against oral cancer.
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“When ‘i’ is changed to ‘we,’ even ‘illness’ becomes ‘wellness.’”
We fight this battle together.
We fight this battle together.
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I can’t thank Wes enough for putting together all of the moving parts to make this blog post happen the way I have been envisioning over the last couple of months. I love you so much, honey.
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Thank you to my Father-in-Law, Bod, for taking these photos. Thank you to Lululemon of Park Meadows for helping me put my outfit together. And thank you to Skye and Anthony at Title Boxing Club Greenwood Village for allowing us to use their facilities to make this happen!
Please reach out if you need prayer or encouragement!
God bless you!
Sparkle on,
Nicole Body
Update: Sabrina went to heaven to be with her Savior on Friday, April 12, 2019. She will be forever missed and in our hearts. We look forward to seeing her again in heaven one day.
Sparkly Survivor 