When I was diagnosed in 2006, I was given a very frank and candid assessment of my chances of beating the beast....poor. Very poor.
Nothing so dramatic as "go home and prepare your family"...I was told that I had roughly a 15% chance of surviving this disease. Being rather pragmatic, one of the first things that I did was assess those important, life changing moments to come in both my life, and those of my family that I would likely miss.
One of the saddest realizations I came to was the likelyhood that I would not see my children have children of their own.
Certainly, there was a sense of loss of continuity...I think everyone on some level wants to see a small part of themselves continue on through children, grandchildren, even great grandchildren.
I remember so clearly how excited, humbled and passionately loving my own Father was when my daughter, his first Grandchild, was born. When he passed away three years ago, he was holding her hand...she, a young woman by then, who loved her Papa as deeply as he loved her.
I truly did not believe I would experience that joy, and the mere thought of that would bring tears to my eyes.
That was then; this is now...past my 5 year anniversary. When I saw my ENT this past June, the same one who'd given me that candid assessment all those years ago said " you did it!"
And, I did " do it"...I beat the Beast, and since 2006 have enjoyed so many of those important moments with my family, save one; welcoming a Grandchild into the world.
That too changed for me this past Tuesday. At 10:00 in the morning, Evelyn Kelli Morgan came into this world; the most beautiful child I've seen since the day 25 years ago that her Mother was born.
I am a Grandpa! That title is one some people cringe at; it implies we're old...for me, it's a title I wear proudly, and proclaim it often in the week that's just past.
Life, and the day to day "new normal" that many of us face and few of us enjoy nearly as much and before cancer, has become so much more; the sun shines a bit more brightly, and the flowers smell even sweeter than ever before; all due to the arrival of one little girl.
My goodness....life is SO good!