"I'd have taken the damn helicopter"

At the risk of being philosophical I have a story to pass on to you all.  I don't know who to credit for the story other than I heard it once on an episode of the West Wing.  So I hope I can tell it as eloquently as Martin Sheen did.

A very religious, holy, faithful man (much like many of you who read this) was living in his home that he had been at for decades.  Unfortunately the river not far from where he lived was flooding and his house and his life were in danger.  So he prayed really hard, like he had never prayed before, to God.  And when the police drove around with their bullhorns saying to evacuate he very calmly went outside and said "I will stay in my home because I believe in God and He will save me."  Well of course things got worse and his house was only reachable by boat.  Some rescue personnel came by and urged him to get on the boat before he was swept away by the water.  Again, this time slightly less calm but as earnest as ever, he said "I am staying, I have been praying to God and He will save me;"  The rescuers had a few choice words for him but moved on to help someone else.  He continued to pray and the flood got worse.  So bad he had to sit on his roof.  Soon a coast guard helicopter came and lowered him a rope frantically trying to get him to safety.  The man as steadfast as ever said "I am sure God will save me." And so the helicopter left.  Well tragically the flood waters kept coming and the man drowned.  Well certainly because he was so devout he went to heaven.  When he got there he immediately confronted the man in charge and asked Him why he was left to die after all of the prayers he had made.  God, quite exacerbated  said "I sent you a bullhorn, a boat, and a damn helicopter you fool, what more do you want from me." 

So Big Don and Kay came out to California last week to celebrate their 31st wedding anniversary and thanks to their three wonderful children enjoyed some time on the beach and listened to the waves when they slept (a Big Don favorite).  The other reason for the trip was to see a surgeon at USC who specializes in complex tumors of the liver and pancreas.  Dr. Rick Selby is a Mizzou Tiger alum and a well respected doctor.  And in Big Don's eyes he is also a coast guard helicopter. 

See I told my parents the story of the man who died in the flood and Big Don listened very intently and then in a way that only he could said to me "I'd have taken the damn helicopter."  So it is not a surprise that after our two hour visit with Dr. Selby, where he very clearly drew pictures and showed us the CT scans of Big Don and said that Big Don was his 'dream patient', we had to hold dad back from getting on the operating table right then and there.  I would be remiss by not telling you that the reason he was a dream patient is because he is otherwise healthy, young, a very fit, thin guy, but most importantly because his CT scan showed him exactly what he needed to see to make him a candidate (a statement we had to retell Big Don because as you can imagine he was so proud of the other things he completely missed the part about the CT scan).

But I think the story is so fitting because it really is who Big Don is.  I for one would have been running right behind that police car no questions asked but not Big Don he is gonna ride it out a little bit, and if and when the time is right then he takes the helicopter.  We won't ever know for sure if it is the absolute correct thing to do.  The surgery will be long and risky and certainly there are no guarantees but dammit we have a chance.  So as a family we have decided that June 30th is the right time.  Big Don will finish up two more weeks of chemotherapy and then prep for surgery.  

Like any big game we are all preparing in our own ways, and we again have to thank everyone for the unwavering support that has been given and that we continue to ask for.  There are so many cliche statements I could make, and I am always a sucker for a good "win one for the gipper" speech but I will save you guys the time and just say Big Don is gonna give it a hell of a fight and I hope that the helicopter not only picks him up but also lands safe. 

I will be updating the blog more frequently as we get closer, but again we appreciate every ones thoughts and prayers.