My father, Frank Alexander, passed away September 25th, 2009, after living with cancer since 2001. If anybody could be an example of how to live with cancer, it would be my dad. Although he experienced radiation, multiple rounds of chemotherapy, a multitude of hospital stays, more surgeries than I can count and a heart attack somewhere in between, dad loved life and knew how to enjoy it. He adored his two grandchildren and was able to be a large part of their childhood and early teenage years. He rarely missed a baseball game, a swim meet or a horse show. If his cancer went in a direction that required treatment, he quietly did it and kept right on going. My brother and I used to say there must be youth serum in is chemotherapy. It wasn’t any secret serum…it was dad’s attitude. Even though he left us way too early, I feel in my heart that my dad had a very full life, and I know he would agree.
There is one huge regret I have regarding dad’s life, however, and that is the late detection of his cancer. He had his first colonoscopy when he was 70 years old, and cancer was immediately detected. If the cancer would have been detected earlier, he may be attending the Relay For Life with me instead of me writing about him. Get your mammograms, your colonoscopies and whatever other tests your doctor recommends for early cancer detection. I agree, the tests aren’t always pleasant, but I’m guessing you agree it beats fighting cancer.
Amy Elizabeth Alexander
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