About Edwin

Written on September 18, 2010

The report of my cancer sounds as if I need of another stem cell transplant. It could happen as early as next month. This will be three years since my previous transplant procedure. The difference in the three years is that I was in good shape. I had been playing racquetball three days a week for twenty years. Now I can hardly walk and as my brother, Edwin would say, that scares the “flitter out of me”

Let me tell you about my brother. When people say “It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out”... Edwin was a rocket scientist with NASA in Huntsville, Alabama. He was featured in Popular Mechanics (August 1960) when he was twenty-one. He worked on Skylab, designing the control panel. Later he was responsible for the crew that would retrieve the booster rockets after they fell into the Atlantic.

Edwin and I slept in the same double bed until the night before his marriage to Marguerite. Just days before his death, I spoke with Edwin and reminded him of the days when the temperature in north Alabama had dropped below freezing. We would heat our pillows on the coal stove and run to the bed and stick our feet inside. In the hot August days, we would push our bed in front of the window and try to catch a breeze. I can still remember waking up with a screen design on my forehead. Edwin would say to each memory,  “I remember.”

We always thought we could count to a million. We counted to ourselves and when we would reach 100, we would raise a hand. He would say,  “I remember.” Actually I got tired of this game and I would raise my hand even though I wasn’t counting.
Our folks took resting on the Sabbath seriously. Edwin and I would bring our little Philco to bed and listen to Fibber McGee and Molly, Amos and Andy, and The Shadow. When it was time for Jack Benny to come on, it was time to get ready for Sunday evening church.

On April 2, 2006, my brother died. He was 67 years plus 18 days. If I have calculated it correctly, that is how long I have lived on this Earth.

Questions for God Book

When I was having my stem cell transplantation in 2007, the idea for this book came to me. As you might imagine, I had lots of questions for God. The odd thing is, I never felt the need to pray for healing of cancer. I did pray an affirming prayer that “God loves me and has a plan for my life.” God tells Jeremiah: I know what I am doing. I have it all planned out—plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for. When you call on me, when you come and pray to me, I’ll listen. When you come looking for me, you’ll find me. I did pray a thanksgiving prayer for all the medical research that was being done for this “incurable” disease. I was also including my family and friends who were praying for my strength to get me through this fifteen day ordeal.

This is probably the most rewarding book that I have had the pleasure working on with writer friends. They have beared their souls in their own journeys. As it has turned out, this book may become a potential tool for small groups.

After finishing this tenth book, I have realized that I have completed over a thousand drawings and I am running out of storage space. The plan was to have the book available in December 2009 but with cancer reoccurring in my leg, radiation, a fall and a break, and a hip replacement, the publishing date was pushed back to this September.

My oncologist has suggested that I should have another stem transplantation soon as the myeloma is on the rise. My prayer is that the neuropathy that I am feeling in my left hand doesn’t effect my right hand. But I must remember that as a follower of Christ, God has a plan for my life.

Thursday, September 9, 2010

This was not a good day. Before heading north to South Bend, Indiana, I had an appointment with my oncologist in Indianapolis. The powerful drug that I have been taking is not helping the rise of myeloma protein in my blood. There are also many side-effects with this drug. One major change in my daily life is I am experiencing some neuropathy in my hands.

When Avis and I arrived at our son’s home, I was very tired and at night, I had difficulty sleeping. This was not unusual. Lying in bed at 3:10 am, I was wide awake and feeling a bit of self pity. With moist eyes and looking through vertical binds I saw the most beautiful sight: A star that seemed to radiate in a twinking mass. It gave me such comfort recognizing that God was watching over me. Later I found out that the “star” was the planet Jupiter but as we know, God can send a messenger ahead for a greater event.