Yesterday, I saw a Facebook post from a high school friend who posted on a mutual friend’s wall. I learned the mutual friend’s husband has been struggling with Multiple Myeloma (Cancer) for 9 years. Throughout his battle, he has had multiple rounds of chemotherapy and 2 bone marrow transplants. The post I read was one of a triumphant milestone. Keith, his caretakers, and his visitors were finally able to remove the gloves and masks that had to be worn. He had made it through a critical phase.
The best news, he would be able to see his son, who he hadn’t seen in 40 days. Not being a parent, I can’t begin to imagine how hard that must be. How do you explain to your son, “Your daddy is sick, you can’t see him today?” How do you, as a husband and wife, as a parent, find the strength to keep pushing forward everyday with hope? I have not seen or spoken to Keith in at least 25 years and his wife, only once at a brief encounter, maybe 6 years ago. But somehow, I know they are still good people. In fact, they are better people now, then they were before. Bad things happen to good people. It’s an unfortunate reality. Cheers to you Keith and Sheree!
Unfortunately, not all the posts I saw on Facebook yesterday were uplifting. I saw the pain, anguish, and anger of Cathy’s cousin who lost her “forever man” to brain cancer a few weeks ago. Gary was a rock-n-roll musician with Artful Dodger back in the 70’s and 80’s. Gary fought hard and did everything he could to get better. His prognosis was terminal. He would die. But, they had hoped he would live long enough to begin a personal crusade against cancer. They wanted to defy the odds. They wanted to be a miracle story. Sadly, God had other plans for Gary.
