I tend to shy away from posts that pull on the heartstrings. Truth is, I am a much better comic… humor seems to brighten any day, and lord knows humor carried me through a lot of ups and downs in the last year.

When I started this blog, I wanted to take some time now and then to talk about the important people in my life. Ya’ll already know that I got my fashion sense from my Mom… (and so many other things like, keeping up with my finances, caring for others, how to do it all and still be a great mom, wife, daughter).

From my Dad, I have character. And by character, I mean the core element that keeps me balanced as a responsible adult. His lessons over the years have made me who I am today. My Dad is such an admirable human being. He grew up with not the most fabulous upbringing, but when he started a family with my Mom he was committed. When I was a kid, and we were short on money, he worked 3-5 jobs at the same time. He was an entrepreneur, taking a small family business from my grandfather and turning it into a lucrative business that provided for us and propelled him into places he never thought he would go.

My Dad was diagnosed with bladder cancer a year or two ago. Twice. Well, let me rephrase, he had a tumor that was removed, had treatment, and then got another one this past year… requiring more treatments. Bladder cancer is a very common cancer, but mostly affects smokers (90% of all cases). My Dad never smoked a day in his life.

I think the cancer served as a wake up call to our whole family. Treasure each moment, because too often they are fleeting and gone in a blink of an eye.

On Monday, my Dad had another biopsy to see if the treatments had eliminated the cancer cells which have been hanging around. The result….. no cancerous cells!! The best news I’ve heard in a long time. We are elated, and although he will need to still have future treatments to stave off future tumors (for the rest of his life), he has a pretty good diagnosis.

A couple weeks back, I shared in my blog that one of my Dad’s friends was also diagnosed with the same cancer. The biggest difference was that my Dad’s friend waited 4 months from his first symptom to see a doctor. The cancer had gone into his lymph nodes in a short amount of time, and his diagnosis was terminal. He was given three months.

He passed on yesterday. Friend of my Dad and friend of mine. I was best friends with his daughter as a kid, (that’s how my Dad and he met). I pray for their family today. I pray for his wife (who is a marvelous person and was a second Mom to me as a kid) and his children who I grew up with and have so many fond memories.

Good news and bad news. Sometimes the universe happens that way.

I don’t write in this blog to preach. But if anyone reads this, remember this…

Cherish each day you have. Reach out to those you love. And, don’t ever wait to go to the doctor if you feel something is “just not right”. Listen.

Sometimes that little nagging voice in you head serves a purpose. And the purpose is to remind you that you are human, and things happen. Ever read stories about people who happen to visit a doctor, randomly mention an issue, and it turns out that they mentioned it in the nick of time?
That happened to my Dad, and he listened. A blessing….. and we thank whomever hears us in the sky that the message was received.

-S