A Grim Reminder

When I saw the sad news yesterday I got a sick feeling in my stomach. Adam Yauch,  MCA of the Beastie Boys, passed away at the age of 47. This tragedy hit right at home, however, because Yauch had been fighting cancer of the parotid gland -- the same rare type of cancer than my son had in 2010. Fortunately, with excellent medical care and by the grace of God, my son has been cancer free for the past two years. However, he knew that Adam Yaunch had salivary gland cancer, and I knew that this news would hit him hard.

Surely enough, shortly after I got home from work, a discussion on his upcoming college registration turned into a rant. Although he was not bringing up what really was bothering him, I forced the discussion and his barriers started breaking down. His older sister, with whom he has always been close, came into my bedroom and the three of us had a short group hug and shed a few tears. This seemed to help clear the air, and shortly thereafter my kids and I grabbed dinner at a local Mexican restaurant. There is calm tonight, and the specter of this difficult time in our lives has been shooed away again for the time being.

And while I am on the subject of this devestating disease, please keep good guy and blogger buddy Lucki Duck in your thoughts and prayers as Lucki and his family struggle with the lung cancer that has been diagnosed in Lucki's mother. Thinking of you tonight, my friend.