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Posted: 10/28/2013 5:07:19 AM EDT
[Last Edit: Bama-Shooter]
No shit.
I'm laying here at Harris Hospital in Fort Worth Texas realizing my final days are upon me. It started back in April when I was diagnosed with stage IVLymphoma cancer. Couldn't just be normal Lymphoma, it had to be Burkitt's lymphoma. And a rare one at that. It's what's called a triple hit Burkitt's. Meaning there are three bad chromosones they have to fight. Basically it's a fast growing tumor they throw everything at. We started with Chemo called Hyper/Cvad....one of the strongest doses of chemo they have. The tumor responded and went from 22cm to 8.4 cm then got pissed off and started growing again. They took me off Chemo and Sent me to MD Anderson in Houston to be on a clinical trial. I tried that and the tumor got bigger after a month so they kicked me off and sent me back. Now I'm laying here with this huge belly, a bad prognosis, and hooked to what they call "salvage" chemo. It doesn't look good. Basically if this chemo does not shrink the tumor I am going to die. If it does shrink the tumor, then I have to have a bone marrow transfusion immediately to help fight the cancer. There will be a small window of opportunity and we have to find a donor match. I"ve gone from a 32 inch waist to almost a 44". I know what a pregnant woman feels now.......you cannot get comfortable no matter what position you lie in. My back is killing me, I'm tired, exhausted, I can't eat without throwing iit back up and I have not pooped in three days because the tumor is wrapped around my intestines. I'm only 45 years old and not ready to die. But here I lay wondering wtf happened and how did this happened. For the first time in my life I'm actually afraid. 9 years in the Army I served. I'm proud of that. I went to college and got a degree.........I have a beautiful family........I guess I've had a good life., I've shot more deer than most people have seen over the years.......hell I have killed lots of animals over the years. Shit loads of doves....... I can't even think about the number of bullets I've fired over the years. It would be funny to see that mountain of brass. We would all smile and be proud and say "damn Jeff, you have a trigger finger left?" The mountain of brass would shade my two story house. I can be proud of that. I have an 8 year old son I have not taught much too. I've been pretty sick all year. He has a chipmunk rifle ready to go......Dad just needs to get better......and there are days I can barely get off the couch I'm so sick. Will somebody teach him when I'm gone? I sure hope so.....he's a good kid and if he's got some of his Dad in him he's gonna be a damn good shot. Yes....these are the words of a truly dying man. I don't think I'll have any regrets.........I've always wanted to work on a project car.....you know......rebuild an old classic. 65 mustang or 72 Chevy pickup... If I get better that's what I want to do. Chances are small and slim though and I think I finally realized that tonight. The nurses act different around me. They look sad.......they must have read my chart and seen my prognosis. It's in their eyes and faces. They won't look me in the eye......and I've been coming here for months for treatment. Things feel different......they know. They just are not saying. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. I'm scared..........I do know that. I guess if I had a shoulder to cry on right now I would. Well I'll just dump this here in GD and let the ball roll. I'm in room 700 if you got a shoulder.7th floor Harris tower... |
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- 12/13 Arfcockalypse Survivor - *CoC VET -2BSS*
TX, USA
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God speed Brother o7
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Memeber knows better.
Award:Fucking up already fucked up threads 24/365. |
You have faith in the elephant and jackass
SOM
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The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time. ~Mark Twain
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Call to arms banners fly in the wind
For the glory of Hellas Coat of arms reading "Freedom or death!" Blood of king Leonidas Tiocfaidh ár lá |
I've shed a few tears and am going to crack a beer in your honor. Stay strong and don't give up hope even though it seems impossible. Is your family nearby?
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Scorpionmain: I came into this world screaming and covered in someone else’s blood. I would have no problem with going out the same way.
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Originally Posted By AKFF:
I've shed a few tears and am going to crack a beer in your honor. Stay strong and don't give up hope even though it seems impossible. Is your family nearby? View Quote No, they are all home in bed, I gave them the day off. I'm up here alone......I sure could use a buddy right now. I hate Sundays. |
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Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:
No, they are all home in bed, I gave them the day off. I'm up here alone......I sure could use a buddy right now. I hate Sundays. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:
Originally Posted By AKFF:
I've shed a few tears and am going to crack a beer in your honor. Stay strong and don't give up hope even though it seems impossible. Is your family nearby? No, they are all home in bed, I gave them the day off. I'm up here alone......I sure could use a buddy right now. I hate Sundays. Tell me about your favorite day shooting. |
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Scorpionmain: I came into this world screaming and covered in someone else’s blood. I would have no problem with going out the same way.
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Or maybe your best deer hunt.
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Scorpionmain: I came into this world screaming and covered in someone else’s blood. I would have no problem with going out the same way.
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Sorry to hear Brother;
Have Courage and be Courageous--That's the Best thing we can all do. May God Bless you and your Family. |
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"Never give Up-Never Quit-"
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You have faith in the elephant and jackass
SOM
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Yea we are here.
Tell us stories. |
Call to arms banners fly in the wind
For the glory of Hellas Coat of arms reading "Freedom or death!" Blood of king Leonidas Tiocfaidh ár lá |
Im sorry brother
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Good.....?
Bad..............? I'M THE GUY WITH THE GUN! |
Make a guy start crying in here...
Hope you get to teach you boy to shoot. If it doesn't work out like that don't worry, plenty of good people around here that will make sure it's taken care of. Thank you for sharing your story with us. Could not have been easy to type that. |
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"Sure. It would be humiliating. Having to lie there while the better man refuses to spill your blood. Mercy is the mark of a great man." poke
"Guess I'm just a good man." poke Well, I'm all right. |
Dude. I can't even imagine that. Hope it turns around man, I really do. |
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Official ARFCOM Callsign: FIREBALL
Bullpup is not a crime! |
If I wasnt 12 hours away brother I would come lend an ear. Il be up for another hour if you need someone to talk to.
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Words fail me. Prayers sent for you and your son.
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My brother died at 47 years old from a non-Hodgkins lymphoma in his abdomen. Prayers are sent.
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Sitting here for the last 10 minutes not knowing what to type. I'm just sad.
I'm over here in Europe, 6000 miles away, 10.20am, at work. I'd like to hear about you Brother. |
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Si vis pacem, para bellum.
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Whatever happens, if you believe, this is the only hell you'll ever know.
Thoughts and prayers. |
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I'm sorry to hear this, friend.
Godspeed and the best of luck for you and to your family. |
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If I had a son, he would look like Christopher Lane.
FBHO FHRC |
Originally Posted By AKFF:
Tell me about your favorite day shooting. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By AKFF:
Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:
Originally Posted By AKFF:
I've shed a few tears and am going to crack a beer in your honor. Stay strong and don't give up hope even though it seems impossible. Is your family nearby? No, they are all home in bed, I gave them the day off. I'm up here alone......I sure could use a buddy right now. I hate Sundays. Tell me about your favorite day shooting. I think it was a night shoot that would be my favorite. We bought 1000 rounds of the white box wolf ammo a few years ago........ I had just bought my Glock 17.........we were down in Newton Texas at the farm facing an old gate....... Practicing quick draw........we shot all night long. I fired over 800 rounds and not 1 single FTE/FTF that night. Incredible for a new gun. Neighbor came down....drunk as hell about 3/;00 am to see if we were going to run out of ammo lol? We actually started shooting in the dayligh.......30-30's about.....300 rounds. SKS........500 rounds Been shooting all day and all night. Lots of beer and good times. I broke that Glock in good. Next season I shot a deer with it. Right behind the left shoulder through the heart.. Small buck.....two steps...and fell. I've killed turkey, possums, racoons,, lizards........that glock has killed a shit pile of animals and fired over 50,000 rounds by now. I guess I'ts my favorite pistol besides my 586. Oh man that stuff I've shot with it......wow. I shot it so much I wore out the cylinder and had to have SW replace it lol Its amazing.....my reloads are pretty stiff ...125gn XTP sitting on top of W296 makes the best 357 mag load on the planet ya'll. And deadly. |
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damn...
God speed brother. |
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Originally Texted By ANSL:
Trust me, as your duly appointed conscience, drinking til 4am is condoned. When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty. NorCal_LEO issued nickname- Tailgunner |
Prayers sent.
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Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:If it does shrink the tumor, then I have to have a bone marrow transfusion immediately to help fight the cancer. There will be a small window of opportunity and we have to find a donor match.
View Quote Tagged, I will donate if I can. |
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If I had a son, he would look like Christopher Lane.
FBHO FHRC |
Good luck to you. Faith in Jesus Christ is essential in situations like these. If you don't know him it's still not to late.
I would spend the last days talking to that son of yours. He may not remember everything but you can still tell him about alot of things and share advice. |
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Jesus. Words fail me. I wish I could help you, my brother. My heart goes out to you, for what it's worth.
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I hold a lot of hands in the back of the ambulance that are in similar situations as you. I'm an empathetic individual and tend to put myself in others shoes. I have a 5 y/o boy. I think I would write him a letter explaining what kind of man I see him growing into. The kind of thing he can read in his teens and feel inspired and then read again in his 20s and feel proud.
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Scorpionmain: I came into this world screaming and covered in someone else’s blood. I would have no problem with going out the same way.
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I've got nothing..... prayers out brother....
damn... |
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Ryan Miller LCPL USMC - Sept 14, 2006. Barwanah, Iraq
Adam P. Kennedy, Sgt USA - April 8, 2007. Diwaniyah, Iraq Mark R. Cannon, HM3 USN - October 2, 2007. Kunar, Afghanistan 11091 |
Say what needs to be said to the ones you love. Dont put it off any longer.
Godspeed brother. |
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Originally Posted By AKFF:
Or maybe your best deer hunt. View Quote my best deer hunt....... It was my first in Hugo Colorado. My dad and his buddies stayed up all night drinking beer and playing poker. I'm 16.......I get up and they are all just laying around the pop up trailer.....I want to hunt. I get dressed and pick up a Model 700 BDL 30-06. Loaded with 165 Sierra Sptizer Boat Tail with w760 powder. There is a westernfield scope on it...... I head out east.....I walk a couple of miles and I see steam coming up from a pile of poop off the ground. I see deer tracks.........and I think wow.......this is fresh. I follow them....hill after hill.......I walk over 5 miles.... I crest another hill and wow. I'm about 1/3 of the way above the sage brush and there is this large herd of deer about 100 yards away......I duck down. I scan the entire heard and I spot and Old Roman Nose Mule Deer......damn he's big. Look at those horns!!!!! Non Typical buck.....9 points on one side. 13 on the other. He's huge ya'll. I settle down....line up my shot......hearts pounding........I'm breathing too hard....buck feaver..... I get the scope on him...he jumps.......bucks.......stands still. Ok.....crosshairs are on his right shoulder.......just below his neck I fire. BAM He lurches.......herd scatters..........deer everywhere..... I stand up and watch the death throes of this magnificant animal......he lays still. I walk over slowly....... He's dead. My god what a big deer. I wrap whit toilet paper around his horns.........and all over the area because I knew i needed help getting him picked up and had no clue what to do. Plus I had to remember how to get back to the trailer then get back to the damn deer. I finally made it back to to trailer and finally dragged my dad out of bed. We got back to the deer and you should have see the proud look on his face when he saw that fucker. I wished I was home because I have him mounted on my wall.......you guys should see this thing......he's big. That was a great day. |
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I believe you will be OK and you will teach your son all you know. I don't know too much of the details, but I have faith.
You have to keep a fighter spirit and not let it get the best of you. |
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I'll pray for you.
Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior? It's not hard to do...........Ask to see a Christian minister of any denomination. But you can do it by yourself if you choose. |
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If nothing changes,...........nothing changes.
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That sounds like a hell of a night of shooting. I have taken out a few nuisance animals up north with my revolver but have yet to take any real game with a hand gun. Only rifles up to this point. Bunch of black bear, some caribou, have yet to get a moose though. When you pull through this you can bring your kid up here and I will take you guys black bear hunting in the interior.
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Scorpionmain: I came into this world screaming and covered in someone else’s blood. I would have no problem with going out the same way.
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Prayers sent. Keep us updated
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Originally Posted By GSL:
What kind of match/blood type? Tagged, I will donate if I can. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By GSL:
Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:If it does shrink the tumor, then I have to have a bone marrow transfusion immediately to help fight the cancer. There will be a small window of opportunity and we have to find a donor match.
Tagged, I will donate if I can. This. What's the procedure for determining a match? |
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Proud member of Team Ranstad
Tennessee Squire RIP Dad. 8SEP12 Award: 24/365 Minuteman Spotlight |
Favorite rifle, pistol, and handgun you've owned?
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Proud member of Team Ranstad
Tennessee Squire RIP Dad. 8SEP12 Award: 24/365 Minuteman Spotlight |
I am sorry brother, it sounds as if you are keeping the fight up. I will pray for you and yours.
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Prayers sent.
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God sometimes subcontracts -- A funny guy
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Originally Posted By GSL:
What kind of match/blood type? Tagged, I will donate if I can. View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By GSL:
Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:If it does shrink the tumor, then I have to have a bone marrow transfusion immediately to help fight the cancer. There will be a small window of opportunity and we have to find a donor match.
Tagged, I will donate if I can. I'm Apos you can go to this link on my blog to donate bone marrow It may save my life or somebody elses My Blog Or just go to Be the match.org |
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Awesome hunt story!! There is something about getting it done on your own. Not to mention the proud dad. Priceless!
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Scorpionmain: I came into this world screaming and covered in someone else’s blood. I would have no problem with going out the same way.
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That's awesome that you have a son. My kids really are the best things that have ever happened to me, as cliched as that sounds.
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"The grim meat hook of reality that is playing live has taught me that one rarely gets what they want or think they deserve." -jeepnstein
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Originally Posted By sjuhockey10:
Favorite rifle, pistol, and handgun you've owned? View Quote Favorite rifle Marlin 1894 in .44 mag and my Model 700 BDL Pistol.....eeesh I love my CZ 75, Glock 17, and my SW 586 .357 Shotgun It would have to be my 870 Wingmaster 20 guage grandpa gave me when I was 12. |
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Scorpionmain: I came into this world screaming and covered in someone else’s blood. I would have no problem with going out the same way.
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I need to get some sleep OP since I work funky hours, but if you need someone to talk to PM me. Il be checking this thread as often as I can. Take care and get some rest.
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Originally Posted By a-bare:
I'll pray for you. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your savior? It's not hard to do...........Ask to see a Christian minister of any denomination. But you can do it by yourself if you choose. View Quote Yes I'm prepared. I've accepted Jesus in my heart as my savior. |
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Ever dance with the devil in the pale moonlight?
TX, USA
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Tell us about your son. He sounds like your pride and joy. Words escape me for now, brother.... Damn...
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Originally Posted By AKFF:
Hell of a picture. Hope you don't mind me posting it from your Blog. http://beautifuldayinparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/IMAG01031-e1367700653276-149x300.jpg BTW, whoever did the IV sticks on the 6th page needs a talking to. View Quote LOL that's fine |
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Originally Posted By sjuhockey10:
This. What's the procedure for determining a match? View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By sjuhockey10:
Originally Posted By GSL:
Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:If it does shrink the tumor, then I have to have a bone marrow transfusion immediately to help fight the cancer. There will be a small window of opportunity and we have to find a donor match.
Tagged, I will donate if I can. This. What's the procedure for determining a match? I did this recently for a Ft Bliss soldier who I read about in the newspaper. You must be younger than 60 years of age if I remember correctly, and all they do is swab your mouth and have you fill out a questionnaire. Once you are done, they ask if you would like to be placed in the national database in case you are a match for someone else. |
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My thoughts are with you.
Do you have a medical fund set up or anything like that to help you and your family? |
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I'ma pop a Glock in ya mouf an make a brain slushy.
-dumb teenage girl on YouTube- |
Wishing you the best brother.
It looks like you had a lot of fun times. Tell us more. We're here. |
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Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:
LOL that's fine View Quote View All Quotes View All Quotes Originally Posted By Fatalwishes:
Originally Posted By AKFF:
Hell of a picture. Hope you don't mind me posting it from your Blog. http://beautifuldayinparadise.com/wp-content/uploads/IMAG01031-e1367700653276-149x300.jpg BTW, whoever did the IV sticks on the 6th page needs a talking to. LOL that's fine Hey man, if you need someone to talk to, IM me and I can either call you or give you my number to call me. I'm praying for you. |
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Originally Posted By Blade_Runner79:
Tell us about your son. He sounds like your pride and joy. Words escape me for now, brother.... Damn... View Quote Well he's special that's for sure He was a month and a half early. My wife was placenta previa.....meaning she bled a lot with this child. He was taken by ceserean and had clubbed feet. Really bad clubbed feet. We spent 3 years in casts and therapy getting him to walk. Thank god for Scottish Rite Hospital. They sponsored him and got his feet straightened out. we went through three surgeries with this kid......drove to dallas 3 times a week for therapy...............man he was cute though. |
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