At the end of July, 2008 Gator started coughing up blood. We never even thought about lung cancer. Maybe we were just in denial. He’s been fighting emphysema for many years and we actually thought maybe he had a bad case of bronchitis. After several doctor’s visits, an x-ray and ct scan, on August 6^th (the day before his birthday!) his doctor called to tell us he had lung cancer. A little later after the initial shock Gator said “Didn’t see that one coming!”

The doctor told us about the cancer, on the phone just as we were walking out the door to go to work at the Kickstand Bar & Grill in Napavine. What a long night that was! I just wanted to break down crying. Gator says he was just in shock and total disbelief and it was a very, very, long night.