I’ve known him almost 30 years.
Orphaned child of a prostitute, grew up in the system. You can imagine how bad it was to make a teenager lie about their age to go military, just to have something stable. Korean War vet.
He holds a medical doctorate, and a nursing masters. Owned a private practice. Is a big part of Shriners hospitals fund raising.
I was 13 when my grandmother got cancer for the first time, that ignited my caretaking instinct. He took me under his wing, taught me the basics, and helped me learn what it all meant.
We’ve cried together, drank in merriment, and been friends for a long time. He was the one who handed me my degree when I finished school.
We still do family dinners together about once a month. He hasn’t been looking well, he’s talked about it getting to be time, and has trouble breathing.
They found a mass on his lung. He’s going in for exploratory procedure’s. He hasn’t said it, but I know what he’s thinking, and I know he wouldn’t want to go out like that.
We’ll know more in a few days. Knowing him, he’ll find a way to spin it into a party.
