Sadly, after he contracted the swine flu a couple months ago (and gave it to me, but I DID get to go to the unc game, so there was that happy side effect, since the flu came with his tickets) he developed an allergic reaction to his medication when he went back on his treatments. The second treatment option didn't work so well, and while there is a third option, he has decided it will be in his best mental interest to forego it and enter hospice.
When he had his 50th and 60th birthdays, people wrote to him expressing how he had affected them. He told me how he loved that, and would like to experience it once again. So he's hoping people will write him, and let him know how he may may have been a part of their lives. "For better or worse", so if he pissed you off, you can tell him that too, haha.
My father is one of very few heroes in my life; he let me be me. I am going to miss him terribly, but I'm not going to focus on mourning him; I'm going to celebrate the affect that he had on me as a person and a son.
If you knew him, (or didn't, but got stuck in a long conversation with him at a tailgate, he was very good at engaging strangers in long conversations) and would like to write him, email me and I will print the emails out to pass them along.
chris@chriswagnerarts.com
PS..I know it is customary to ask for vibes, but he is content in his decision, so while vibes won't help him back to health, you can toot a horn to celebrate a man who had a verve for living and dedicating his own life to helping others live better and longer. And he made me a Duke fan.


