Gib,
I have friends currently battling cancer.
What most don't realize is the terrible toll cancer takes on the patient's family.
Those family members are relegated to being spectators, helpless to combat and cure the cancer.
They can only watch and see the day to day deterioration, the terrible effects caused by the cancer, the radiation and the chemotherapy.
It's an enormous strain on a family, especially a family with young children who see, but don't understand what's happening to their mother or father.
It's an agonizing experience, the unkindest, most brutal form of erosion, one made worse when the outcome is the demise of the patient.
Last night my wife and I invited our neighbor from across the street to join us for a family dinner
My grandson was also with us.
This neighbor is a wonderful and kind man who lost his 7 year old son to a rare form of cancer and then, shortly thereafter, lost his wife to breast cancer. We talked about the strides being made in early detection, new drugs and treatment protocols that are producing favorable outcomes.
We also discussed the reduction in government funding and the need for contributions from the private sector.
We can no longer help Tiger, but we can help Katie with kind words about her dad and by making a charitable contribution in Tiger's name to his favorite charity or to cancer research in Tiger's name.
Men are judged by their deeds, not their words.