A Visit From A Friend

I was all set to blog about the new bathroom.

Then this afternoon we had a visit from Larry, our electrician, and his mother. Larry is a great guy, very easy going, in his mid-forties. He has long blond hair, half way down his back, which he always has sectioned off with rubber bands. He rides a harley. He knows I like things done my way. He's told Chester on numerous occasions, "If mama ain't happy, no body's happy."

We found out a few weeks ago that Larry has pancreatic cancer. Apparently the percentage of people who live 5 years past diagnosis is rare.

Larry had open heart surgery 3 years ago so they do not want to do invasive surgery now. He is going to Tulsa in a couple of weeks to be treated with the CyberKnife® Robotic Radiosurgery System. It s a non-invasive alternative to surgery for the treatment of both cancerous and non-cancerous tumors anywhere in the body, including the prostate, lung, brain, spine, liver, pancreas and kidney. The treatment – which delivers high doses of radiation to tumors with extreme accuracy – offers new hope to patients who have inoperable or surgically complex tumors, or who may be looking for a non-surgical option.

He came by to find out when he could get started on the rest of our electrical work because he feels his time is short. He doesn't even care if he gets paid. He just doesn't want to leave us in a bind and having to look for another electrician to finish his work.

I spent an hour or so talking with his mom, who is a very interesting lady. We talked about all kinds of things. I found out she is an accomplished artist from Bronx, NY. She teaches watercolor art classes, sews and basically does all kinds of crafting. Needless to say we hit it off right away.

By the time she left I knew all about Larry's kids and their bad eating habits, his girlfriend and her bad eating habits. His mom is a vegetarian, doesn't eat dairy... she's very health conscious. And she is on a mission to build Larry's immune system up so hopefully his body will be better able to handle the chemo.

I also learned that her husband passed away one year ago today.

We are praying that Larry's treatment goes well and he beats this thing. We welcome your prayers, too.