"Somebody's Bright Balloon" is divided into three sections. "Self and Others: Receivers" are poems that depict with truth and hope the travails of a cancer patient and the author's interaction with other patients and medical professionals. The second section, "Givers," offers poems about doctors, surgeons, nurses and other hospital staff who care for seriously ill patients. The final section, "The Dark Side" is about concomitant depression and mental illness that many patients experience.
"Somebody's Bright Balloon" offers a rare glimpse into the thoughts, impressions and coping mechanisms of a cancer patient during treatment and recovery and how he assimilated the reality of cancer into his life.
Caregivers -- from family members to health care professionals -- have gained compassion and understanding through the insights provided in McCallum's poems. Other cancer patients have found strength in the knowledge that their fears and reactions to cancer and its treatment are shared experiences.