Everything I Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten

First and most important I learned how to have recess and have a good time.  So that is probably why I haven't updated the blog in a while.  The Dulle's have been very busy with weddings and parties so cancer and the blog have been on hold for recess.  But as all great recesses do, this one has ended and it is time to get back to work, so please forgive my absence.  In addition to recess I learned some other things.

One of my favorites was math and it came in handy again today at the Mayo Clinic where Big Don met with the oncologist.  And as the kindergarten Donnie could tell you, 72 is way less than 2800, I think even the kindergarten version of my brother Bobby could have told you that, maybe.  72 is the latest tumor marker down from 2800 back in August when he was first diagnosed!  Still room for improvement but pretty close to 50 which is normal. 

I learned some art, so when he showed us the scans that indicate to him that the cancer does not look like it has spread, i did not have to cover any spots up with the finger painting I did in kindergarten.

I also learned some writing.  Now this served me well when I got to college and had to write my first real paper about the Kennedy family.  The topic was to write about why I thought the Kennedys were such a successful family.  So I wrote a killer 7 page essay about how in every picture they looked happy and that happiness was the key to success, brilliant, right.  Wrong, my teacher proceeded to rip the whole thing apart in front of the whole class.  I think he may have even mentioned that it could have been written by a kindergarten student, I'm not sure I had buried myself in my sweatshirt under the desk at that point.  He then gave me an A because at least I stayed on topic but it better improve.  Still I would argue with him today that maybe the reason Big Don has been so successful so far with chemo and cancer is because he is always positive and happy.  Being in Whitefish and working at Flathead Beverage makes him happy, spending time with his family and friends makes him happy, working the wedding reception like a politician, making sure to talk to every single person, makes him happy, hosting, in my humble opinion, the best rehearsal dinner ever makes him happy, driving his corvette and going out to dinner with his wife makes him happy.  Living life makes him happy.  So the side effects of chemo and cancer are no match for him, and if you need him next week he will be in Las Vegas, where he is really happy and so am I for that matter, for the Anheuser Busch convention. 

So with this attitude he will continue the fight.  The regimen calls for continued chemotherapy for as long as it keeps working with a graduation to some sort of maintenance type chemo for still many more months.  The scans still do not indicate that the tumor is operable so we keep fighting.  He is by no means out of the woods but I for one continue with hope and confidence that he will keep winning, again because of all of the thoughts and prayers and support of good friends and family. 

Oh yea I learned one other thing in Kindergarten.  Around that time one of my uncles, who has since beaten it and has 4 beautiful kids, was diagnosed with cancer.  So it was then that I learned I HATE CANSER, and I still do.(sorry spelling wasn't until 1st grade, maybe I didn't quite learn everything)