I just got back from a visitation.
My buddy Joe, our IT consultant at work, died Thursday morning from
brain cancer. He was diagnosed less than two years ago.
Joe fought the good fight. I did get a chance to visit with him after
he was diagnosed, and he also had been to our shop a couple times after
his surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation. I didn't think his outlook was
good based on what he had told me and how he looked. I don't know if
Joe knew the likely outcome or not but he always seemed positive when I
spoke to him.
After his initial surgery, I wrote him a letter and told him how much
I enjoyed working with him and how much he had taught me about PCs and
our specific software application. I told him I looked forward to working
with him again soon, even though as I wrote it I didn't know if we ever would
work together again or not. As it turned out, we did work together one last
time. On his last visit to our shop he told me he really appreciated me
writing the letter.
Joe was the kind of guy who did everything by the book. Invariably he
would come to work on my computer and I would have 12 or so windows open.
That used to drive him nuts! He would say "How is your accounting software
supposed to work when you have all those windows open?" And I always said,
"Hey, it's a computer. We paid good money for it, and I work it hard."
Joe was dealt a bad hand. I have no doubt that he did everything his
doctors told him to. The hand he was dealt was a loser.
It reminds me of something Lance Armstrong mentioned in his book - some
of the best people in the world get cancer. They do everything they can
to beat it. They do what their doctors tell them to. They have a positive
attitude. They work their asses off.
Their cancer will kill them anyway.
On the other hand, some very disagreeable people will get cancer. They
will ignore their doctor's best advice. They will do whatever they want.
They will have a negative attitude.
They will survive.
Cancer's not fair.
I am proud to have called Joe my friend, he was a great guy. He was 62.
His obituary is here.
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