Visit with Uncle Mike

Last Friday, my mom, my sister and I went to visit my Uncle Mike. Unfortunately he has terminal lung cancer that has metastasized to his brain. I don't think I'd seen him for about twenty years, but he recently reached out to his ex-sister-in-laws, asking that they come see him. My mother figured that Mike might enjoy seeing his nieces as well, so she asked if we would like to go along.

Mike lives in Caroline County, not too far from my mom. So my sister, Tricia, and I met at her house and drove to Mom's. My nephew, Josh, also went along. We had decided to take a meal to Mike and his family, so Mom made her famous short ribs and bought an angel food cake. I made farmer's potatoes and bought a salad, and Tricia bought rolls to round out the meal. When we arrived at Mike's, no one was home. So we hung out and pet the horses and visited with the rooster. There was an adorable field mouse that would sneak out and steal the rooster's food while we were watching. If you look closely, you can see the mouse near the red caddy.


We had decided to leave and put the meal in their fridge, when Mike got home. I'm glad we got to see him. We all brought pictures to share with Mike. Some were from when we were kids, and some were present day pictures of our families. Mike has never met our children, so we wanted to share them with him. We reminisced about old times for a short time, and then Mike was worn out and let us know he needed to rest. It's hard to see him undergoing the ravages of cancer. He still has the same eyes and the same voice, but otherwise we wouldn't have even known him. He spends most of his time sitting out in his garage, pictured here, enjoying his land.


I often coach Team in Training participants and have fund raised for them three times. Team in Training focuses on blood cancers, but their research often benefits all cancers. And all cancers need to be defeated! This has been brought home to me even more after visiting with Uncle Mike. I will take part in the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life on June 6th and 7th at Lee-Davis High School to raise awareness and funds. You can click here for more information. I will be sure to post about Relay for Life next week. This will be my first time participating in that event. I'm looking forward to the special survivor activities they have planned. But more on that later....