Robert,

I am (was) a 200 (165 now) lb 48 year old and after the year with my terminally ill mother, I cry when I watch Montel Williams. I believe one of the roughest days of my life was sitting down with my boys (13 and 15 now) and telling them about the cancer. All through my treatment I didn't care how bad I felt, I went to open house at their schools, I took them and picked them up at school every chance I could and I made it to football, band, etc. I even worked directing traffic with my youngest for the Christmas Parade and Methodist Men's Pancake feed. I'm glad they didn't notice the tears, as you describe, from time to time when I sometimes felt this could be the last Christmas, awards banquet, etc. I just blamed it on the Salagen or something in my eye, even though I'm sure they really knew. I will never be able to work the 70-80 hour weeks away from my family that I used to.

Thanks for reminding me how important our families really are to us.

Ed

SCC Stage IV, BOT, T2N2bM0
Cisplatin/5FU x 3, 40 days radiation
Diagnosis 07/21/03 tx completed 10/08/03
Post Radiation Lower Motor Neuron Syndrome 3/08.
Cervical Spinal Stenosis 01/11
Cervical Myelitis 09/12
Thoracic Paraplegia 10/12
Dysautonomia 11/12
Hospice care 09/12-01/13.
COPD 01/14
Intermittent CHF 6/15
Feeding tube NPO 03/16
VFI 12/2016
ORN 12/2017
Cardiac Event 06/2018
Bilateral VFI 01/2021
Thoracotomy Bilobectomy 01/2022
Bilateral VFI 05/2022
Total Laryngectomy 01/2023