Ofelia Martinez

Contusion Ofelia Martinez

Facing my own mortality, I take a stranger to bed so I can feel alive. I'm in a foreign country and will never see him again, so what's the harm?




The only thing worse than cancer at twenty-four is having to keep it a secret.

Worse still is trading knuckle wraps for head scarfs and mouth guards for IV drips.

Like I sought the best coach, my search for the best cancer researchers lands me in Kansas City, far from home and alone.

But when I take the handsome and funny Rory Dennis home, I learn there is more between us than an insatiable physical attraction.




I want to see him again, but can I keep my illness a secret from yet another person?