Happy Birthday Mike

Mike, in honor of your New Year's Eve birthday, here are some of your favorite photos, along with some of your favorite songs. (OK, plus a song or two that I like. Hope you like hearing the Mormon Tabernacle Choir do a dramatic backdrop as Dad stretches out blowing his birthday candles out into a 90-second affair. Kind of sweet, really. It's very... well, Dad.)

I love you, brother. Have a safe drive down to Virginia, and a very Happy Birthday.

As Alex would say, here is to "Uncle Mike living to be 100."

Mike, thank you for sending the photos of the times of when you were in the hospital this year having all the surgeries to remove tumors for chondrosarcoma. If I remember correctly, this year you had surgery four tumors. I lost count of how many tumors that turned out to be total. The December surgery was three tumors, (one of the neck, two one the spine.) The one that required the tracheotomy was one big tumor, right? Or, were there other smaller ones in your lungs, too? I know the sarcomas keep coming back in your lungs, and each time they do they keep having to remove more lobes. And, there is only a finite amount of lobes in the lungs.

I am always amazed at your perserverance and attitude with all these surgeries. You have survived this cancer now for ten years. You are truly a walking miracle, and an inspiration to me.

In between your surgeries, you always live life to the fullest, enjoying skiing and boating with your (our) brothers, and your fiancee Suzy. You continue to work full-time as one of the smartest high-tech gurus around.

My son, Alex, continues to pray for you every night before dinner. He usually alternates between two different prayers:

"Dear Lord, please make Uncle Mike's cancer go away and never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, come back."

and his other pray is:

"Dear Lord, please make it to so Uncle Mike can live to be 100."

Amen to that.

I love you, brother.

Here's to celebrating another birthday with you next year! 2009 is going to be a great year! I just know it!

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• skiing
• Utah
• vermont
• chondrosarcoma
• spinal
• cancer
• sarcomas

[mtwolfie]

fantastic - Brother Mike

The Movie was great - thank you very much - Suzy (Mike's fiance)