Cancer in my family
Stoic about pain
We avoided medication
My father's pain
A crusty old character
Cancer changed him
The cancer returned
I believe he was probably about 79 when he was first diagnosed, which was a year previous to the second hospitalization. And he had colon cancer and went in for that. He had a colostomy and they nearly lost him on the operating table twice. I would say that my dad really tried to be a warm, caring, compassionate person. That following year he had a different value on life. I think he always valued life, but it was much more intense, the things he enjoyed and appreciated.