Sunday, April 5, 2009

Trouble in Nevada

Today at the ballpark, I noticed a bald teeneage boy. Coaching first base on Will's 9-10 baseball team, I went to the fence to talk with the young man between innings. He was lounging in a chair and eating popcorn with a pair of crutches at his feet. I knew he had cancer, but didn't know what kind.

When I asked, he looked me directly in the eye, smiled and said calmly, "I have osteosarcoma," explaining the bone tumor was in his knee. He said, "I have three more treatments left, and then I'm done." I said, "Good for you and that's a good feeling," before telling him about Dori's recovery from leukemia.

Tonight on 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley narrated the sad story of a Nevada cancer clinic that is essentially closed because of the recession. Afterward, I asked our kids their thoughts, and they had interesting, probing reactions. I then told them what would have happened to us if we did not have health insurance when Mommy was sick. Here's the sad fact of what's happening to many Americans today.

On a brighter note, Dori and I had a blast at Trivia Night yesterday with some friends at school. This afternoon, we had a great time at an annual pinata party thrown by some good folks at our school. Will's baseball team won both games this weekend, and I ran nearly five pain-free miles today in warm weather ... no trouble with my achilles, though I need some new shoes.

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