It's not just one person at a time. Cancer usually strikes in numbers. It may be just one person who is a carrier, but we are all linked to each other.My brother Stephen, while not the first in the family to have had Leukemia, was the first in my immediate family to pass away. While it is unfortunate to go at any age, his passing at age 41 meant that he left a wife and four young kids and a host of family and friends.
I have included a picture of him and his family. It is a very moving portrait to me in that it illustrates the kind of grace and strength that Stephen could show under pressure. He rushed to the family photo shoot just minutes from an appointment with his doctor who had just delivered the blow of a leukemia diagnosis. He put on a smile and got through it before sharing his burden with the rest of the family. The next day Stephen entered the hospital and his family's life was never the same.
I really miss Stephen, but I doubt I do as much as his wife Gigi, and kids Brittany, Heather, Wesley, and Daniel, nor as much as my parents. I am grateful for his life and look forward to seeing him again someday after this life. I am also particularly grateful for Tony who met Gigi several years later and who has stepped into the role of husband, father, friend and brother. It was surely a lot for him to soak in all at once, but it shows that there truly can be silver linings even to the saddest of losses.
You can provide a silver lining to a family in need. Please consider participating with me and the the Team in Training by making a donation here (http://pages.teamintraining.org/vtnt/dublin08/cmorganfqm).
1 comment:
With the experiences we have had, one in two has been affected. But then that has an effect on family, friends, and the medical profession. Good luck in your fund raising.
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