What if?

The other day I was over at my parent’s house and my Mom told my Dad to “show them your poster.”

I figured it was some sort of ancient Chicago Cubs poster filled with delusions of World Series hopes, or an old Deep Purple poster they found in the basement.

Either way, I wasn’t interested.

But I slowly made my over to look as my Dad slowly unrolled the white tube to reveal that it really was HIS poster.

That’s my Dad and his nurse.

I guess when you defy all odds and beat the unbeatable – stage 4 colon cancer, you deserve at least a poster.

And luckily they gave him 2 copies. While I lost interest in posters about 15 years or so ago, this is one poster that will be framed and will have a permanent place on my wall.

But this poster made me think about a few things.  This whole time (since 2008 I believe) we have been dealing with his cancer and subsequent remission, I never considered the place that helped him beat it.  He was involved in a clinical trial that, clearly, was a successful protocal for him, and while I recognized that it was responsible in large part (although I do believe his mindset to go down fighting played a big part as well) for his survival, I never gave a second thought to the place he was receiving treatment. So I wanted to take a minute to thank Cancer Resource Centre and the Community Cancer Research Foundation for their work in advancing cancer treatment and more specifically for helping keep my Dad here with us.

Thanks to their efforts, “what if” became “what is” and that – is priceless.