not the best picture of either of us…but…see that man right next to me? thats my dad. i love him more than anything. hes been there for me since day 1. he makes me laugh when i need it, and always puts the biggest smile on my face(: this man is my hero..¬ just because hes my dad. hes strong, determined, brave, and has made it through so much. seriously. it all started in 2001. he was going to ray borque night at the garden, with his father, and right there next to him, his dad had a heart attack&died. that was the first time i saw him cry. i realized he had feelings like that too. (if you want more info on the death theres probably some on the internet since he was a famous hockey player..just look up woody dumart). then came the next time. august 14, 2004. most likely the worst day of my entire life. it started out normal…i was outside playing frisbee with my neighbor chris and my brothers matt&brett. i was getting ready to go back to school&start my 4th grade year, and trying to get as much fun into my summer as i could. then my life was shattered. my mom called me in, and told me that the doctors had just called, and my dad had a type of cancer called AML, or acute myeloid leukemia. at first, i was confused. what did she just tell me? is daddy gonna be okay? then i lost it. i saw my dad coming downstairs holding his bag of clothes, crying his eyes out. i couldnt help it. i still cant. thinking about that moment im sitting here in tears. i ran over, hugged him, told him i loved him so much, and then i said goodbye. i didnt know when i would see him next, and if i would ever see him back home again. my aunt came over, and he left. i went outside&cried for hours. the rest of my summer was full of relatives, and sympathy, and a few trips to the hospital. i couldnt stand it. i wanted my life to be like it was the day before this all happened. the whole family, happy, and just having fun at the red sox game. that wouldnt be my life again for a while. i went to school in tears daily. i couldnt help it, my life was being torn apart because of “stinking cancer” as i would say back then. the next month was crazy. too much sympathy, too little daddy. he came home for a week right before his transplant. when i had to say goodbye again to my now bald daddy, i started bawling, and thats how i got on the bus that morning. i wouldnt see him for another 2 months. my mom didnt want us to see him at his worst. and one night, i got the worst news ever. he almost just died in the hospital. my heart broke. he stopped breathing, and they got there almost too late. if i had lost him…..i dont know what i would have done. just the thought of it makes me break down crying. finally, after a few more weeks, we saw him again. he was living in an apartment next to the hospital, just to be safe, and we got to go stay with him one night. it felt just like old times….but different. but it felt good. he finally came home, right before thanksgiving. that was an amazing thanksgiving, with so much to be thankful for. hes been in and out of the hospital a few times since then, but at the moment, he is cancer free. im so happy for that. its been almost 5 years since he has been declared “totally cancer free”, and im so proud of him. i love you so much daddy. you made it<3
