Profiles in Courage

I am constantly amazed at the strength of the human spirit in the face of terrible events and unexpected crises. Most of us have witnessed this in past and current events and up close and personal some time in our own lives as I have. My admiration and respect for those people in my life is beyond measure.

My husband never ceases to amaze me. He has faced tremendous challenges in his life with dignity, courage and a philosophical attitude that I try to understand and let it inspire me. He lost his first wife and his oldest daughter to cancer. He has had his own bout with cancer and a quadruple heart bypass and now the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. I have never heard this man say "Why me?" I have never heard anger or bitterness from him. Of course, he has shed tears at the losses in his life, he has worried about the consequences of the illnesses he has faced and the disease he now battles but he remains constant in his calm acceptance of what life brings.

My sister is my best friend, my surrogate mom, and mentor. She faced breast cancer years ago at a time when she was completing her studies for her Master's in Education. She had a radical mastectomy and underwent chemotherapy while still attending school and working full time as an elementary school teacher. In class she would sit as close to the door as possible so she would have quick access to the bathroom in the event she had nausea caused by her chemo. She got her Master's degree and is a 25 year cancer survivor. She continues to provide wonderful nurturing service to others. Although, she retired after 36 years of teaching, she remains dedicated to the education of children as a volunteer and advocate. Her husband, ironically, also has Alzheimer's. She faces all of this with an unending unshakeable faith and optimism.

And there is Pam...our daughter. No, she was not my biological child. I did not carry her in my womb but I carry her and will always carry her in my heart. She was her father's child, smart, glib, a wonderful sense of humor and a life force to be reckoned with. She lived a year after her diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer but what a year. Two months after surgery that removed 3/4 of her colon, she went on a 24 mile hike with friends in the High Sierras, she completed her oral examination for her PHD in clinical psychology and she courageously did Disneyland with me and the grandchildren that summer. She bought the car of her dreams and drove it with delight. We laughed and enjoyed the days. As she was undergoing chemotherapy, she would go in for her session wearing gorilla feet or martian ears telling her doctor that she was having curious side effects from her chemo. Every visit was an event and curiosity as to what her imagination would produce. On one of her final visits, she brought a lifesize "Creature from the Black Lagoon" to the doctor's office and covered it with a sheet and said she had finally succumbed to the total effects of the chemo. She fought to live till the very day she died. Her energy and spirit still permeates our home, our lives.

I am sure there are numerous stories out there of similar kind. These are mine. I carry them with love.