06-26-2006, 02:05 AM
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 2][#002850]Life’s ups and downs visit each and every one of us from time to time. Recently, my family and I have come face to face with a real downer. My wonderful 27 year old son has been diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer that has migrated to his liver, spleen, bones, and probably other parts of his body as well. The cancer in his liver is the worst part. His liver is 5-6 times larger than normal with many golf ball sized tumors throughout. The doctors at the Huntsman Cancer Institute tell us that his condition is neither operable nor curable. When asked how long he has to live, we are told “He could live for days, weeks, maybe even months.”
Suddenly our minds turn to trying to find ways for him to enjoy his last days. That is a tough one. Since he had never seen Yellowstone, we all packed up and spent the weekend there. We put him in a wheel chair and took him to as many of the sites as humanly possible. The limits were his fatigue. He couldn’t take too much due to the pain and extreme fatigue.
We plan to take lots of family pictures, and do as many things with him as possible before he leaves us.
As you all know, I like taking fishing pictures and take pride in sharing pics of my fishing partner’s successes. I have had Ben (my son) out on Willard with me several times and every time was fantastic fishing out there. I fondly remember a long lasting boil one over cast morning ([url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=18060;search_string=my%20son;#18060"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/...ring=my%20son;#18060[/url]) and also fishing with him at Willard boating the biggest wipers I can remember out by the light pole. But get this, not one darn picture did I take of my great son fishing with me! I don’t know why but I suspect that is just because I didn’t have my camera or it was before my digital days. My study is decorated with many many pictures of those of you I have fished with and your catches. But I am sorely ashamed to say I have none of my son’s catches … breaks my heart.
He goes in for chemo therapy on Tuesday (don’t know how much, if any, good that will do), and everything is touch and go from there. He has said that he would like to get out there on Willard one more time with me and we plan to keep an eye towards that possibility. We’ll see. If and when he can, I would love to be out there with him in a boat larger than my little 14 ft. tin bin. Mine is too susceptible to the waves and may get him sick fast. Don’t be surprised if I PM one of you guys to beg a ride in one of your big smooth boats. The trip probably wouldn’t last more than an hour … just long enough for him to hook up with a few nice wipers one last time. I sure would love to have some pictures of that for my study. I fear that I may be too late.
Rileyfish, Bait_Caster, and myself had a guided fishing trip with Jim Williams on the Gorge planned for the first week of July. Because of this turn of events, BC, Riley, and Jim were good enough to postpone it until next year. I sure appreciate it and will be looking forward to that second attempt.
One thing I have found through all this is that there sure are a lot of good people in this world. Dealing with this has taken much more than I even realized I had. And it’s all the good people around us and our beliefs that help my family to stay positive.
Unlike many very unfortunate tragedies, some parents never have the opportunity express their final feelings of love and say their good-byes to a child. I, on the other hand, do have that opportunity and you can bet it is being done.[/#002850][/size][/font]
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Suddenly our minds turn to trying to find ways for him to enjoy his last days. That is a tough one. Since he had never seen Yellowstone, we all packed up and spent the weekend there. We put him in a wheel chair and took him to as many of the sites as humanly possible. The limits were his fatigue. He couldn’t take too much due to the pain and extreme fatigue.
We plan to take lots of family pictures, and do as many things with him as possible before he leaves us.
As you all know, I like taking fishing pictures and take pride in sharing pics of my fishing partner’s successes. I have had Ben (my son) out on Willard with me several times and every time was fantastic fishing out there. I fondly remember a long lasting boil one over cast morning ([url "http://www.bigfishtackle.com/cgi-bin/gforum/gforum.cgi?post=18060;search_string=my%20son;#18060"]http://www.bigfishtackle.com/...ring=my%20son;#18060[/url]) and also fishing with him at Willard boating the biggest wipers I can remember out by the light pole. But get this, not one darn picture did I take of my great son fishing with me! I don’t know why but I suspect that is just because I didn’t have my camera or it was before my digital days. My study is decorated with many many pictures of those of you I have fished with and your catches. But I am sorely ashamed to say I have none of my son’s catches … breaks my heart.
He goes in for chemo therapy on Tuesday (don’t know how much, if any, good that will do), and everything is touch and go from there. He has said that he would like to get out there on Willard one more time with me and we plan to keep an eye towards that possibility. We’ll see. If and when he can, I would love to be out there with him in a boat larger than my little 14 ft. tin bin. Mine is too susceptible to the waves and may get him sick fast. Don’t be surprised if I PM one of you guys to beg a ride in one of your big smooth boats. The trip probably wouldn’t last more than an hour … just long enough for him to hook up with a few nice wipers one last time. I sure would love to have some pictures of that for my study. I fear that I may be too late.
Rileyfish, Bait_Caster, and myself had a guided fishing trip with Jim Williams on the Gorge planned for the first week of July. Because of this turn of events, BC, Riley, and Jim were good enough to postpone it until next year. I sure appreciate it and will be looking forward to that second attempt.
One thing I have found through all this is that there sure are a lot of good people in this world. Dealing with this has taken much more than I even realized I had. And it’s all the good people around us and our beliefs that help my family to stay positive.
Unlike many very unfortunate tragedies, some parents never have the opportunity express their final feelings of love and say their good-byes to a child. I, on the other hand, do have that opportunity and you can bet it is being done.[/#002850][/size][/font]
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thing is that most people don't even know they have it until it is too late. He is awefully young for it as well. Please be sure any of his siblings, no matter what age, get a screening colonoscopy ASAP! It aint fun, but if caught early, it is completely curable. Best wishes, and I hope he doesn't suffer too much. Wish I had a boat I could take you out on.
