Conditions & Recovery · Cancer Stories: Art of Oncology · August 11, 2026

Forty: The Desert as a Metaphor for Living

Listen to JCO's Art of Oncology poem, "Forty" by Frantz Berthaud, who is Senior Vice President of Oncology Services at University Medical Center of El Paso. The poem is followed by an interview with Berthaud and host Dr. Mikkael Sekeres. Berthaud discusses grief, survival, and mortality in his poem, which honors his sister's life and battle with cancer. LINK TO FULL TRANSCRIPT

Originally published by Cancer Stories: Art of Oncology. We curate and add context; they did the reporting.

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