Silently she faces her personal war
She did not choose this battle
It was chosen for her. It is hers now
and only she can choose to fight back.

Illness tries to rob her of her future
Joy and hope are muffled by pain and fear
Her inner light may sometimes flicker
But she fights hard to let her light shine.

Now curled alone on her bathroom floor
she begs for the pain to please stop.
Until him, she begged only for mercy
now she begs for another day to love him.

Steadfast in her fight, she pleads for life.
She knows that the pain could last forever.
However, if he is there to hold her tight,
together it seems they can do this.

He quiets the pain's roar to a whimper.
Anger and fear retreat in his presence,
lurking, she feels just under the surface.
Eventually they will be felt, but not tonight.

His knowing embrace nourishes her soul
making her once again believe in herself.
Finally she feels strong enough to fight
the relentless assault from her own body.

Illness cannot control her life anymore.
For once she takes control.
She forces herself off the bathroom floor
with a new resolve to fight.

Glancing at herself in the mirror and sighing
She sees tear stains marring the landscape
of the face that he now knows so well.
Tears born not of defeat, but of resolve.

She swears to the girl in the mirror
with all of her heart to keep fighting.
Illness knows no one quite like her,
she will fight with the power of his love.

She finally realizes she can do this.
With patience he has helped her to see
just how strong and brave she really is.
She now knows, it was in her the whole time.

Not fighting anymore to just protect herself,
she is fighting also to protect his heart.
Somehow, without realizing it was happening
her fight has now become their fight.