You see, I have a
brother-in-law named Guy. He's husband to my sister Diane. From the
time I first met him I liked him. He was friendly, warm, and could really, REALLY
cook ( a form of magic I never mastered). As I got to know him, and
after their marriage, I truly came to regard him as my brother. I
have one, but also had lots of room for another, so it was a good
fit.
About four years ago, Guy
had a pancreatic cancer scare. He has been monitored at Johns
Hopkins ever since. This was a good thing because, this time, they
found actual cancer. Surgery was scheduled, and we all picked
ourselves up off the floor and were ready to soldier on. But then,
they also found nodules in the lungs.
I'm a pretty good medical
intuitive, but I did not pick up anything serious regarding his
pulmonary system. I was wrong. The nodes are cancer. The fact that
the people with M.D. after their names were also surprised does not
comfort me. Needless to say, this was devastating news for Diane and
Guy, and the rest of our family.
There is a new protocol
which has had great results. Guy will be starting this soon, and his
attitude is good. Mine you, Guy is only a year older than I. He'll
be 60 in June, and was looking forward to Diane's retirement this
year, selling the NJ house, and moving to their Maryland home. While
he battles through this illness, normal life has been thrown into
limbo.
This is Guy, and his tiny
shih tzu Little Guy. (Honestly, the breeder was calling the dog that
even before Di and Guy went looking for a new “fid” fuzzy kid.)
There are two other pups
in the household, Ellie the shih tzu and Harry the yorkie. Ellie has
medical conditions as well. To add insult to injury, poor Harry had
to have emergency surgery this week. Due to surgery he had as a
puppy, he had adhesions and scars and twisted intestines. He is
resting comfortably at home. But talk about when it rains it pours!
My poor sister has really paid her dues this week!
Here are the Clark sisters and their pups (this was taken before Little Guy joined the family): To the left is Jane with Georgie Girl and Gizmo, in the middle is Diane with Harry and Ellie (she's black and hard to see), and finally the Rufus and me. This was from 2008.
Naturally, I'm asking
everyone to keep a good thought and say a few prayers for Guy. But
there is one more thing. Our niece, Brenna, has decided to run a
marathon in Guy's honor, proceeds going to pancreatic cancer
research. Below is her website:
If you ever had to deal with cancer in your family (I survived Uterine Cancer 7 years ago), if you've been touched by the loss of someone who's had this terrible cancer, or if you love shih tzus and yorkies and can sympathize with Little Guy, Ellie and Harry's worry over their daddy, please consider supporting Brenna's run. Even a dollar or two helps her to meet her goal.
Thank you for whatever you can do spiritually and/or financially via donation.
Kat and Rufus
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