The Stranger

1.  A Misfortune

I promise to be yours and only yours, forever!

I promise to love you until my last breath! she replied.

They exchanged rings in the presence of friends and family. Everybody cheered and clapped for them as they promised to be life partners.

Sara and Samuel became best friends at a very young age when they would usually meet when their dads go for golf. They first met at the age of fifteen when Jacob and Richard, their respective fathers, arranged a barbecue night at a common friend's residence. They clicked as friends right from the first meeting; the common topic of interest, coffee, and pizza, transformed into an incredible bond of endless conversations. The meetings only increased with time, further intensifying their closeness. Therefore, after being friends for six years, they were transitioning from being friends to life companions. They were getting engaged!

After the engagement party, Samuel and Sara went off to the nearest cafe. They ordered some coffee and cookies. He was dressed in a black suit and Sara was wearing a blue wrap dress. While waiting for the coffee, Samuel noticed Sara's dress.

You look remarkable today! he praised.

You don’t look bad either! She giggled.

It’s uncanny to be here as a couple, right?

It’s not. Why are you feeling awkward? Are you shying away from commitment?

I mean...you know...it’s... forget it!

She wanted to know his sentiments, but on the other hand, she understood his dilemma. He had never been in a relationship that continued for more than a month and she believed that he never truly found a loyal girl.

Their families picked a date for the wedding that was nine months away. Everyone was excited about the wedding. The preparations commenced in full swing. Sara was selecting the venues and booking caterers. The families pre-decided the functions; everything appeared to be proceeding in the right direction.

One day, Sara had a stomachache while shopping, but she avoided it as she was heavily menstruating and considered such strains to be normal. The stomachache did not go away and continued for a week. Subsequently, it worsened, and the bleeding was growing prolonged and exhausting. She could not get up from the bed. The severe pain was like somebody was jabbing sharpened needles into her abdomen. Initially, her parents thought that it would be the strain of stress causing an elongated stretch of menstruation or a stomach-related issue, but the ache persisted for more than two weeks, so they had to take her to the hospital.

The unbearable pain made her very weak; she wasn’t eating very much. The doctors carried out all the imperative tests; however, it took around a week for the results to come back.

The results narrated a very unexpected and frightful tale for the family. She had fibroids in her uterus. The terrible wave of pain was due to those fibroids. The doctors were very cynical about the matter and hinted that due to neglect and improper treatment, the fibroids had developed in volume, and they were exerting a lot of pressure on the uterine wall and the surrounding organs. However, there were only a few options available to her, a hysterectomy being the most severe.

It is a procedure where a woman’s uterus is removed surgically, the doctor explained in one of the encounters.

This news saddened everyone in the family. Her parents were outraged and in utter disbelief. The marriage was getting closer—it was only five months away—and their daughter's symptoms continued to get graver. She began to lose sensation in her thighs from the fibroids pressing on her nerves; the pain and pressure were almost intolerable; her energy was fading greatly every day; her abdomen continued to swell.

Samuel and his parents arrived at the hospital. They were taken aback by the situation and seemed evidently concerned.

Don't worry, Jacob, everything will be alright. I know her, she is very strong, and she will be fine very soon, Samuel uttered.

Tears started rolling down Jacob's face. Richard moved closer and murmured,

Be strong. It's only going to get tougher, so you have to be stronger.

Jacob looked up at his face in disbelief, it was highly inappropriate to say something like that to a person whose daughter was suffering from a critical ailment. Richard did not realize that he had made an insensitive comment and this hurt Jacob more than the comment itself. Samuel furiously stared at Richard.

I am going to see Sara.

Sara was lying in the hospital bed staring at the ceiling quietly. Everyone thought that she was sleeping, but in fact, she was silently contemplating the recent turn of events. Samuel entered the room. She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she did not hear the door opening.

Hello beautiful! he addressed in a cheery tone.

She just smiled at him. He had not seen her so lost and tormented because she was always the person who would initiate conversations. He was worried but could not express it because she was not in a state to receive any sort of sympathy. Everything had happened so quickly that she did not have any time to understand the situation properly. She was under the influence of tranquilizers, so her voice was slumberous.

I am sorry. Everything is ruined—the preparations and arrangements.

Right now, nothing matters but your health. Everything will be sorted once you're feeling fine. Just focus on your recovery, that's it! he answered.

What if I don't recover at all?

He quietly looked at her face. Sara's phone was in her side table's drawer. She asked Samuel to give her the phone. He argued that she should rest for a while and leave everything aside, but she insisted. So Samuel ended up handing the phone over to her.

Thankfully, the wealth of information that she earned from researching the internet on various websites ultimately led her to information on MR-guided focused-ultrasound surgery (MRgFUS) and onto the correct track. After her insurance refused to pay for the FUS at a treatment center, she was spurred to enroll in a clinical trial for a fresher version of the same treatment using an enhanced sonication technique assuring the ability to treat up to 100% of the individual fibroid volume. UVA’s Focused Ultrasound Center is one of the treatment centers participating in this trial and she discovered that it was only a six-hour drive from her house. It was a ray at the end of the tunnel and likely a way out for her. She contacted them by phone and was able to get an appointment. She instantly called Samuel and told him about the potential treatment for her condition. He was thrilled with the news.

Mom and dad were so happy when I told them about the FUS. I really hope that this works.

It will, why wouldn't it? he countered.

Fate isn't my best friend, you know.

I have to go. I am working. I'll talk to you later.

Jacob accompanied Sara on the journey. Every moment seemed longer than usual. She was constantly feeling anxious but concealed it with a nervous smile. For her, it wasn't easy but the urge to fight would rise whenever she heeded Jacob's determination.

After a long journey to meet with Dr. Wilson and his team, she finally got the answer that she had been hunting for; they accepted her enrollment in the clinical trial. She had to undergo two treatments in a row, following three months of Lupron therapy to shrink the fibroids as much as possible prior to the