Be Aggressive! Be, Be Aggressive!

Crazy weekend. I am going to have to play serious catch up on my photo project once the dust settles.

In the mean time I had to share some sad news with you. My uncle Ron passed on Fri evening. He was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer after the holidays, they gave him 6 months to live. Those 6 months were cut down significantly after his 2nd trip to the ER and by early last week the doctors said hours, maybe days. My aunt and uncle and their kids live in Washington state so I wasn't able to be with them which was hard. I hate family living apart. But that's a whole different topic and post. We prayed, we sent our love, we encouraged, we did what we could from another state. By early last week he was non-responsive and by Friday he was taken home to heaven. Uncle Ron was a sweet, goofy, loving, giving, happy-go-lucky man. He loved his Italian roots, he loved to cook and talk your ear off about recipes and cooking tips, he loved to spoil his kids and grand kids with treats and toys, he loved big band music and swing dancing...he was one of a kind. I know he's doing the jitterbug in heaven surrounded by all you can eat pasta and no longer in pain so I am at peace with his passing. The reason I wanted to share this is because when Ron first went to the hospital in November after experiencing pain for a very long time he was misdiagnosed. By the time he went back in, over a month later, because the treatment they'd prescribed wasn't working the cancer had progressed to a stage 4 status. In this same week of hearing daily updates on Ron's status a friend of mine told me about some scary symptoms she'd been experiencing for over a month and hadn't been to the doctor to have it checked out. I cyber slapped her and scared her into making an appointment. I get hating doctors, I don't have the greatest faith in our health care and I hate being poked and prodded just as much as everyone else. But point blank: It's your health and up to you to take action! Trust your guts, don't put it off, get a second opinion, do your research! I'm not saying become a hypochondriac cuz frankly that's really annoying. Just don't apply your procrastination to your well being, and I'm talking to myself too when I say this. There is such a thing as "too late" when it comes to catching health issues.

Take care of you.

OK I'm jumping off my soapbox now. I'm grateful I'll be able to visit family this weekend for the funeral and say my goodbyes, or really my see-ya-laters. Love you Uncle Ron.