Cages & Cagers - Continued

Coffee with a close friend made me realize that my Cagers and Cages blog could use a little expanding. Her situation reminded me of another cage, one not of our own creation, that often closes in our lives, sickness.

This beautiful young woman recently found herself diagnosed with stage 3 cancer involving her kidney, liver, and lymph nodes. The options are simple – cut her open and remove what they can or leave it, because chemo apparently won't touch this cancer. This free spirit had this escape proof cage dropped over her from nowhere and she feels much like any animal would as a cage trapped them and closed around them. Scared. Angry. Bitter. Sad. Worried. All feelings which are cages of their own.
I know it it no real comparison for what my friend is currently facing, but I recently abandoned my motorbike for a couple of days, tired of riding in the rain, and used my van for my daily commute. The feeling of being enclosed in that shell as I drove to work was claustrophobic and smothering. I imagine this is only a small sample of how my friend and others feel when their lives are suddenly closed in by sickness and illness.
Shakespeare wrote “Now is the winter of our discontent, made glorious summer by this sun of York”. As a biker every winter is my winter of discontent as snow and ice keep me off my ride and and in my cage, but I get through it knowing the summer sun will free me once again. For my friend and others like her I wish that a summer sun comes for them, releasing them from their cages.