Bart,

I appreciate your blunt approach -- it fits my style and I expect we will get on famously as a result.

Don't mistake my opening for weakness. I'm afraid -- this is going to be tough and painful for me an my family. I don't want to die now, but I know it's coming -- someday -- just not today. At least I get a chance to have some say in when.

When I question my strength, it's because I know this is going to hurt and I've never done anything like this before. As I've lived most of my life day-by-day anyway, I'll just have to do this as well. Not looking forward, and with no previous experience, I don't know how much I can take. I figure I'll have to take whatever they have to give, though, since them's the breaks.

I have no intention of losing this fight -- I just don't see it happening. I'm feeling pretty sorry for myself -- I think this is spectacularly unfair, all things being equal -- but I'm no fool. Life isn't fair and a lot of people have it a lot worse than me. I have a couple of life mottos, though -- and I've held them in the salt of my blood for most of my adult life:

"Crying out in fury to the gods of fate, come on and catch me if you can" -- OK, so don't throw down a wager to the gods -- got it.

The other one, though:
"Let's get one thing straight, I'll choose my fate and it's got nothing to do with you. "
Silly lyric from Judas Priest, but I apply it to all of my obstacles -- this one is no exception.

Thanks for the encouragement, though. I think we all need it, no matter how stubborn we are (and I'm pretty stubborn). I expect to have good days and bad days, good moods and bad moods. I love to fght, though, or at least, I hate to lose. I plan on winning this one, too.

The Hellion