Introduction
Carter had red hair and sparkling blue eyes that could remind a human of water. Solid, liquid, doesn’t really matter. She was a bubbly, energetic 10-year-old. Unfortunately for her and her mother, April, a week after Carter’s 11th birthday, she was diagnosed with brain cancer. Carter changed that day. She became sad, didn’t want to talk to anyone. Except, of course, for a therapy dog that visited her room daily named Maui.
Axel, on the other hand, had black hair the color of night and green eyes that looked like a jungle. Axel was a great kid. Stood up for kids who were bullied, got good grades, kind to everyone. Then he was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia. He’s lucky they caught it early, otherwise it could have been worse. Nevertheless, he became depressed even though he was only 11 years old. Axel became hostile and acted like he hated the world and everyone in it, especially healthy people.
Axel and Carter met one day, years later, when they were 13 years old. In the years since her diagnosis, Carter had started to spend most of her time reading, and she was reading at a 12th grade level by the time she had finished 7th grade. Axel, however, preferred playing Uno with anyone who would play with him, and he was very good too. He beat almost anyone he took on. Carter and Axel had never noticed each other before, until one day Axel’s mom had to take a phone call. Axel watched her leave, which made him look in Carter’s direction. He thought she was beautiful, and in that moment, his anger melted away. That phone call changed Axel’s life, and Carter’s life, forever. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.
Anyway, these two children are a very special pair. Little did they know, they were diagnosed on the same day. Within 10 minutes of one another. Actually, by the same doctor. In rooms next to each other. Life can be funny, can’t it? Yes, yes I can be.
