Editor's Query

Tell us about a time when a child said something freakishly grown-up

Last fall, my son, Sam, was diagnosed with brain cancer.

At the time, he was 11 years old and already wise beyond his years. The April before, after experiencing nausea, headaches and double vision, he had had a benign tumor removed from his brain. Then, about a month later, another MRI revealed a shadow in the same location. Sam's surgeon operated in early September, and the news that came a week later was awful. The tumor was growing very rapidly. It was labeled "aggressive" by his oncologist. The treatment, including radiation and chemotherapy, would be equally aggressive.

Along with the treatment came uncountable risks, including a possible loss of memory and cognitive and verbal abilities. To Sam, the thought that he might come out of this a different person, with different abilities, was extremely frightening.

His doctors recommended rigorous cognitive and psychological testing during the course of radiation treatment. One particular test had him filling in the blanks. The neuro-psychologist asked him to complete this sentence: "I know it's silly, but I'm afraid of _____."

Sam looked her straight in the eye and answered, "The things I'm afraid of aren't silly."

-- Paula Forman, Glenwood, Md.

>>New query: Tell us about a time when an offhand joke came back to haunt you. If you have a 100 percent true story taken from your own experience concerning the above query, send it to queries@washpost.com or The Washington Post Magazine, 1150 15th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071. Include your daytime phone number. Recount your story in 250 words or less. We'll pay you $50 if we use your tale.