Leena,

I would like to tell you about one of my life-long friends, Carmen. One day he called me and after a brief pause just whispered..."I have cancer." We prayed together an then we talked. He was having a backache and went in to see a doctor. He is a Vietnam vet and was a Marine. He found out he had Hep C and suspicious spots in both kidneys. Within hours he was scheduled to have both kidneys removed. I urged him to go to MDACC for a second opinion before he had the surgery. MDACC saw him in one day as he was scheduled for surgery later in the week. In the end, he was hospitalized for 5 days, had one kidney removed and part of the other. He hasn't called me the past couple of months but secretly I know he is coming up on his FOUR year anniversary.

You're the greatest and remember...the sledge hammer moves much slower than the human body can react! I miss ME just as you describe but I still see glimpses of who I used to be from time to time.

Last Sunday Susan and I went to a Kairos prison closing. I have tried to get more involved in prison ministries for over 20 years. Let's just say I ran with the wrong crowd and paid my dues at a very tender age. I see now how He has added more character to me over the years and even though I have often wondered why...I know what I am to do with it.

May your future be filled with many more blessings and may he bring you to more and more crowds filled with His love. (And may the sledgehammer pass close by while narrowly missing you wink )

You are a ray of sunshine on a gloomy day.

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