My Parents Anniversary

Today is Sunday, February 10th. This would have been my parents 57th anniversary. My father will have been gone 41 years on March 17th. My mother has outlived two husbands. My dad dying from diabetes and Gregg my stepfather from cancer and now she is facing the death of her friend, George, from cancer. My mother is also an 18 year cancer survivor. My mother, like me, lost her father when she was young (11) and me when I was 14. It is hard to say this, but unlike my father, my mother never quit at anything in her life. She has gone thru more bad things than one should have to. Death of her father in a vehicle accident, poverty as a child, a sick first husband, bankrupcy because of his medical bills, working as the main support for her family plus being the best mom she knew how to be, a wife to a second husband and a new family (my brother Brad), supporting her husband while he was ill, going thru cancer herself, caring for her mother until her death two years ago and now worrying about me with cancer. She is a tough lady and I admire her. I feel I get much of my strength and commitment to things from her. We laugh and say that my height, weight, personality and now cancer are from the jeans. That is her name, Jean. Funny thing is I married a person very much like her in my wife Patti. Between the two of them I have found success and lived my life as a leader, not a follower. I owe that to the two of them. My mother recently reminded me of that fact and took no credit. She said she knew I would always be a leader. In school I was not one of the kids who stood out other than being the shortest kid in my class up to 10th grade. At that point many of my male teachers began working for me on construction crews that I ran for my grandfather. I went into the army and became a leader at everything I did from basic training to retirement. I went up 7 enlisted ranks and 4 officer ranks to retire as a major. I was the cub scout leader and scout master. Patti and I started our own business two weeks after we were married and with $500 in our savings we built up a company that our son is now running allowing us the time to step away and get this cancer out of me without the worry and stress that would make that difficult. But all three of us, my mom, Patti and I know that it was by God's grace and guidance that we have lived and succeeded. We also know that it is by God's grace that the cancer will or will not be completely removed from me. It will be His will that will be done. I look forward to the future and again taking active roles in our church, our family and extended family and our business.

Two more radiation treatments. I am burnt rather badly on my collar bone and under my arm. These are the last two, but they will be more concentrated on the spot where the tumors were so I can expect even more burning and swelling, so please pray that the burns and swelling will go away quickly so I can start the interfuron as soon as possible.