Hello, (and goodbye?), Trajicomic!
I bolded the above part because I believe that to be true.
I watched my brother slowly die of throat cancer: first losing half of his neck in a resection, then eventually losing his voice box, ending up with a permanent tracheostomy tube for breathing and a feeding tube placed for nourishment. This all happened over the course of 5 years. He still went to work everyday AND worked overtime with 2 years of accrued sick-time/vacation time and spent his summer weekends at the beach. The man was the poster child for dying with strength, fearlessness and dignity. I’m sure the percocets helped, but he KNEW he was dying and refused to wallow in self pity. He was out doing yard work when an inoperable tumor burst and he was hospitalized for the last 2 days of his life.
I think that he was so fearless because he WAS living his life and didn’t feed into any drama associated with his impending mortality…thinking ANY day could be ANY-ONE’S last day…and so it goes.
You might think he was burying himself in his work to keep busy, and that might be true to a degree, but this was his NORMAL routine and chose not to deviate from it. Hell, he drank beer on weekends all his life and would pour a few down the feeding tube come Friday night!!!
He also left behind three children, all of whom ended up with full scholarships to very prestigious universities. I mention this because I believe it is a testament to his bravery and life focus which he imparted on his family. Although he couldn’t speak for the last year of his life, his positive actions reinforced in his children, the importance of continuity and staying the course established, especially their educational goals.
[tab]Que in cheesy Bon Jovi song: [local hero and my brother’s (modern day) doppelganger].
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GU-jq3Cwhso [/youtube][/tab]