I was eight and on the long walk home from school. I was very short with very short hair. A tall, thin and smoking “hippie” caught up to me. “Hey, man, you wanna smoke some marijuana?” he asked. “It’ll make you feel real good!” I declined, thinking it was some sort of brand name for a cigarette. My parents didn’t smoke, so I wasn’t sure that was a good idea. Thus began the longest three minutes, perhaps, of my childhood.
Run? I knew I was no match for him. He kept pestering me about how wonderful this stuff was, and I found that greatly annoying. Then, he left on one of the sideroads.
My mother said that my angel must have been protecting me, and maybe she was right.
My older brother and I got a full lecture from my mother within a week about all kinds of drugs and the predators pushing them. While others were still enjoying the pleasant innocence of childhood, I now understood that the world was really a very dangerous place.
Choices matter, and some choices lead to a variety of health problems, including cancer. Encourage those you know to make good choices.
Dr. Fred Hardwicke practices medical oncology at Childress Regional Medical Center, 901 U.S. Hwy 83.
