My father has always been one who is full of life-a spit into the wind type, who didn't take anything from anyone, but loving and always there for his family. He took things head on, and didn't ever back down. Two years ago, I got a call from him saying that he had prostate cancer, which scared the heck out of me. I didn't know what to do or what to think. It turns out that he also developed bladder cancer. I think I handled it much worse than my father, and immediately was freaking out, thinking I was going to lose him way before I was ready. I will remember forever, the day after his surgery, I saw my father in the hospital, and had never, ever, seen him as small and frail as he appeared that day. He looked meek, and tired, and overall awful. His heart and his mind were still with us, though, and he tried to joke about it, but I wasn't having any of it. I was scared, very scared, and if he was, though he looked like a timid little mouse, he didn't show it. I did a lot of soul searching those many days after, and it made me realize that you only go around once in life, and you better take care of your business, both in life and with family and friends. It made me stand up and say, "hey, you are important in my life, and I want you to know", instead of taking every day for granted. Two years now, and my father has shown no signs of any cancer coming back-they had caught it all in time. His ability to develop a regimin and stick to it in terms of Dr. appointments, follow ups, and his dogged determination to beat this thing, the big "C", was very inspiring to me. I know he does, but I have a whole new outlook in life, and am glad for and cherish every day I can wake up, see my family, hug my kids and my wife, and say, "Hey, it's good to see you today", and really and truly mean it. So, get your well check ups, keep your appointments, do all the things that are necessary, things that you may not think are important, because they can be. Do it early, and you just may be saving a life-maybe even your own.