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16 Panels

   There are 16 panels on the ceiling of room 721 in the Children's Hospital of Hershey, Pennsylvania. In those panels are small indents, and if you squint or look at them sideways, they appear to form pictures. I don't know what purpose those specks are supposed to serve- insulation? sound proofing?- but for me, they were witnesses.

   The panel by the window has a grouping that resembles Darth Vader. He faces out into the parking lot, watching as people come and go. He watched our car pull up when I was twelve. Vader didn't hear me talk much at first- I mostly listened. He heard the doctors and nurses explain new words to me- like leukemia, white blood cells, and chemotherapy. He had heard them give the same speech to many kids before, so I doubt the words had as much impact on him as they did me. Over the next three and a half years, Vader would watch as I walked into the hospital fifteen more times. I wouldn't always be assigned to his room- sometimes he would see me go down the hallway to another. Often though I would be wheeled into his room, but I wonder if he recognized me as I eventually lost all my hair. He saw me as I mastered the hospital gown, wearing it double tied in the back so as not to moon him. Sometimes I would keep him company for just a couple of nights, other times for nearly three weeks. I'm quite sure by the end of those lengthier stays, he was happy to see me go- even Darth Vader gets tired of being told the force is with him.

   Over the bed, a friendly lion stares downwards. He read along with me as I devoured books, each story transporting me outside the hospital walls. He knew that the written word would enthrall me throughout my life. He would observe as the music therapist taught me to strum chords on an old guitar, inspiring a love of music that would keep me moving forward to my own beat. Once, he was hit in the eye by a Nerf dart-friends thought it would keep me busy to fire off a toy gun. When a newly discovered love of theater and a need for blood transfusion met, he didn't show fear when I looked up at him and said, "I want to drink your blood" in my best Count Dracula impression. I think he would have liked to hug me, or even pat me on the back, but alas, he was a bodiless face.

   In the far right corner, there is a small green spot. I pointed it out to many nurses, and though they looked at it, all swore it wasn't green at all- just the lighting and my imagination that made it appear so. I'm not convinced. I spent many hours googling what it could be on the borrowed hospital laptop. However, I only learned that Google can lead you astray- they were not performing radioactive experiments in the room above me, nor were the remains of hospital lunches left to rot there. When the Doctor told me that I was in remission, I stared at that spot suspiciously. Was that where the cancer went? Did the chemo and radiation just cause it to evaporate into the corner of the room?

   These were my friends for three and a half years. They watched me grow from a scared little boy, to a kid who accepted what life dealt him, and finally into a young man, healthy and strong. If I had truly understood that the last time I would see them was in 2013, I would have said thanks for being there. But when I walked out for what would be the last time, I was too busy looking ahead at all the possibilities that now lay before me.

   1. What school are you attending?

I am attending Syracuse University.

   2. What is your major?

My majors are Citizenship and Civic Engagement / Economics, and I plan to earn a minor in Policy Studies. 

   3. What are your interests and hobbies?

Marching band is an important hobby of mine, especially being a member of the drumline. I've been drumming for about 4 years and I've never gotten sick of it. I also enjoy politics and government functions. I actively watch the news and I'm involved with a club that supports my political opinions.

   4.  What plans do you have after you graduate?

I plan to apply to Syracuse's Graduate School to work for an MPA (Masters in Public Administration) and later become a government policy advisor. 

   5.  Share whatever you would like about who Jacob Waldron is.

I'll give you a few facts about me. I graduated from Cedar Crest High School in 2017. I hate all kinds of milk except chocolate milk. I am a huge tea drinker. I like my coffee black. Finally, I'm gonna have a new little brother in May.