O.K. Part II

(I don't know what else to call it)

Maybe you or your family have dealt with a family member's limited time to live. But whether or not you have, I thought I'd let you in on how my family and others close to me reacted to "the news":

*Paul- He's been a saint. Very brave, encouraging, and most of all, supportive.

*My sister Ellen- Same as Paul. Always a joy to be around. I finally told her and Paul to "stop being strong" and "just be Ellen and Paul".

*My best friend Dave- I told him in a very "news update" fashion, very factual. We talked about the weird and uncomfortable stuff: is there a term/word used for when a doctor tells you how long you may have to live? Whom should you tell, and how do you tell them about it? When you're at the roulette table and down hundreds of dollars, how do you know whether to walk away or put in more to recover losses and break even?

*Mom and Dad- When I told them, they were pretty quiet at first, but Dad got very outspoken discussing hope of future treatment. Mom grieved by not exercising and ordering Thai drunken noodles that night. She's more my style.