When I was updating the web site for Nick, our family and friends, I asked Nick what he wanted to have as a quote on each page. When he was 8 and was diagnosed with Rhabdomyosarcoma, he liked, “Every Kid Deserves to be Healthy.” For cancer number three he came up with “It’s not the hand you are dealt, but how you play your cards.” I have learned that in order to survive, one should accept the cards, and focus energy on making the best of the journey. I suppose there is a lesson to be learned in accepting the gifts that we have and learning to put them to the best use.
I originally came up with 12 gifts because that is what came to mind: Twelve Patriarchs, Twelve Sons of Israel, Twelve Apostles, Twelve Months, Twelve Steps. As I look into the past and on to the future, it seems to me that these gifts are timeless. They apply to the first cancer, the second cancer, the third cancer, the fourth cancer, or all challenges we face in our lives.