Courtesy of Andrew Pisula Courtesy of Michael Denson Courtesy of Andrew Pisula Courtesy of Michael Denson

The soft blue thermoplastic feels warm as it's stretched against my head. We're in the process of creating my radiation mask, molding it to the exact contours of my face to better protect me during radiation therapy. For the next 15 days, the custom mask is bolted down to the table with me inside it, the plastic shell keeping me completely immobilized as a machine delivers beams of radiation to the granuloma behind my eye . Trapped within the mask, I try my hardest not to panic. When the radiation runs its course, I receive a certificate signed by the entire therapy team, along with my big, blue mask. I let it haunt my coffee table for a while, until my mom finally yells

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