We went camping with friends, but halfway up the trail Radu panicked over a “tick” on his leg and made us turn back. At the hospital, he came out laughing—it wasn’t a tick, just a sesame seed from his burger. We were exhausted and annoyed, and later planned another trip without him.
A month later, I ran into Radu and learned he’d actually been diagnosed with a small tumor in his neck—near where the “tick” had been. That false alarm led doctors to catch it early.
Guilt hit hard. We rallied around him, planned a gentle camping trip with him this time, and supported him through treatment. The tumor shrank, and doctors said the early discovery made all the difference.
What started as a joke about a sesame seed became a wake-up call about friendship, judgment, and showing up for people. The tick wasn’t real—but the lesson was.