My Battle with Merkel Cell Cancer

In facing death, dad decided to truly live his life. I love how he embraced what is
important, and allowed the distractions from a happy life to fall by the wayside. None of
us need to wait until we face a terminal illness to live the way dad lived his final years.
Dad left behind a great family, a family that will live a better life thanks to the legacy and
lessons he leaves behind.
Grandma, Poppa, and their five grandchildren on the family cruise, December 2011
Dad and family on a cruise, December 2011
We each remember dad -- and allow that memory to enrich our lives -- in our own way.
His passing allowed me to reflect on whether I was the man he was, or at least the man I
wanted to be. Dad had always loomed large -- a man whose shoes I could never hope to
fill. He was a man who would hoist a canoe over beaver damns, a man who would step in
to fix anything that went wrong, a man I turned to for rock solid advice. He was in so
many ways not just a father, but a father figure. He was a hero to his mother when his
father was sick and later died. He was a hero and role model for his children. Like any
respected father figure, he cast quite a shadow.
Even to the end dad projected strength, regardless of the cancer's weakening of his
body.
A few days after he passed away, I looked in his closet and was drawn to his shoes. I
had always assumed his feet were far bigger than mine, so I had trouble believing what I
saw. I stared for minutes. His shoes looked the same size as mine. And they were. I sat
down, picked out a pair of shoes I had seen him wear dozens of times, and put them on. I
literally filled his shoes.
My Battle with Merkel Cell Cancer
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