A Great Grandfather
24 June 2006
Jennifer Slaught

      A cool wind blowing across the even colder water and the sun just peeking over the horizon as the throaty croak of a toad breaks the quiet of the early morning. The monotinous hum of a hushed motor stops. Not a sound is made aside from the soft splash of a hook hitting the still water. The bait on the hook sits for a mere moment before something tugs on the line. A frantic tug and the line is reeling, pulling what it had hooked closer to the boat. Fishing is something sixteen year old Kevin Thygeson misses doing with his his grandfather.
Kevin’s grandpa had been ill. He had gone to have surgery done and they discovered that he had small cell cancer. Small cell cancer is a disease of the lungs and is one of the two main groups of lung cancer that you can get. The two groups are small cell cancer and non-small cell cancer. The non-small cell cancer basically has a wider range of illnesses versus small cell which is the only type of cancer in that category. Because it is more responsive to chimotherapy, small cell is classified as its own type. If caught soon enough, the cancer can often be treated and cured. Radiation therapy is never done on a small cell patient. Unfortunately, it is one of the less common cancers of the lung. When they caught Kevin's grandfather's case, it was too late.
As a child, and even as he'd gotten older, Kevin would always enjoy a fun boating trip with him. They would often have a blast going down to the nearest lake or river and trying to catch something. They'd come back happy, despite their luck with the fish. "He used to take me for monthly haircuts and other things like that," said Kevin. Kevin and his grandfather had a special bond. "We were really close and I was really sad when he died," he said. Kevin was there when his grandfather passed away. Most of his family was gathered around his hospital bed. He was hooked up to his oxygen tank. Kevin's grandpa seemed like he was waiting for his wife before he passed. "He didn't really say much, but you could see it in his eyes," Kevin told us solemnly.
Eventually he passed in his warm bed with his family surrounding him.
Even though Kevin still misses his grandfather, he remembers him well. Thinking of the good times rather than the bad. This way, he is able to accept what happened and just be greatful for the time that he had with him.

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