"What would you do if I had Cancer?"

"What would you do if I had Cancer?" Those are the words that I heard one year ago yesterday from my wife as we lay in bed after a basketball game. Those are also the words that I will never forget because of what followed. When she asked me the question, I truly did not have an answer, so I paused and said "boy, that would suck." She then said, "well, I have Cancer". That instant I became numb to everything around me, I couldn't fathom the possibility that my time with my wife could be coming to an end. After about 2-3 minutes I began to cry, and we held each other for what seemed forever, and I can remember not wanting to let go of her.

What followed in the coming days was probably the most frustrating time in our lives together. Not only did my wife now have breast cancer, but she was also 5 months pregnant, and the doctors were unsure what to do regarding treatment. At first the doctors came with the possibility of terminating the pregnancy, which was never an option in Alyson's mind, nor mine. Then they said, that they could treat her, but what of the baby during all of this. They did not have an answer for it.

So Alyson and I sought out second and third and fourth opinions over the next month or so. We traveled to Dallas, TX, Lubbock, TX, Up to Michigan, and back to Abilene, TX. Then we prayed a lot with our friends and family. We cried a lot and we ate basically what amounts to grass, not sure but that could have been the reason for crying a lot.

I don't know if anyone can relate, but it is the hardest thing to watch someone you care so much for, go through all that she went through. It was horrible watching her get stuck with all those needles, and to watch her get her initial biopsy done. The thing that I did notice was her strength and courage. I can remember asking her what we were going to do, and she looked at me and said, "we are going to keep on living normal... Life does not stop because of cancer". That blew me away. All I wanted to do was make life easier for her, and she did not want anything to change one bit. If it were me I would have wanted to go rent a cottage by a lake and just die, but not her. She was going to keep on going, not missing a stride and whatever happened along the way happened.

So a year has gone by, and she is cancer free, we have our son Brooks, and life is normal. Just like she wanted. I sit here today blessed beyond measure for who my wife is and what she means to our family. Her strength and courage is immeasurable by anything on this earth, and I love her more than words.

A special thank you goes out to our family and friends, especially our dear friends in Abilene, TX. It was your prayers that kept us going and keep us going today. Alyson, Brooks, and I truly love all of you. Thank you so much.