The last time I saw my Uncle was at our family gathering last X-mas at my sisters home. He was 77 years old, and even at his advancing age, he had a wonderful uplifting tone in his voice when he greeted you."... great to see you, how ya'doing?" he'd ask as he gave you a great big bear hug. I can hear his voice in my mind at this moment. I will miss him.
Don passed away last weekend of congestive heart failure. I got the news during the nutritional lecture after our weekly Saturday morning Team Challenge run. Gratefully, Don didn't suffer very long, had a sharp mind to the end and lived well beyond what the doctors said he would twenty three years ago. I recall back when we visited him at the hospital; when he was first diagnosed with colon cancer, had a large section of his intestine removed and told he would be living with an ostomy for the balance of his life. The doctors also diagnosed that he would require heart surgery over that same year. I recall them saying, "If you were a smoker, you'd be dead." He was 54 years old that day; the same age I am today.
Don's mother, Mary Rodrigues, my maternal grandmother, had also died of colon cancer complications at age 65. She was diagnosed too late and never treated prior to her death. So, when I run the half marathon in July, I will think of my family, Don, Mary, and Danielle and I will be surrounded with many many people who share a similar family history regarding colon health.
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