Old Friendships and Family Ties

I grew up with four Sisters, three of them and myself, all were in school, the youngest, the baby, about 4 or 5, went with my Mother as she cared for her Father. Our Grandfather died young, maybe 56 or so, it was hard on him, the cancer, it was hard on my Mother. My little Sister, at the time, had not a clue as to how, all that my Mother and she lived through, during my grandfathers sickness, would give her all the strength, all the compassion she needed, caring for her Second Son. He was a great Kid, he got a rare cancer of the nervous system, one that only hits Boys 8 and under. His first surgery, his chances weren’t good, he was seven, a tumor the size of a plum was taken off his brain. He lived eight years through his battle, my baby Sister, like a rock, she always knew what was right to do. This was one tough Kid, they hit delete, alt, end, on him, then re booted him with stem cells, from what I know of all this is, he went right to the edge, then one more time, came back. What an amazing Kid this was, he planned his funeral, decided, Over the Rainbow, would be its theme, my Sister through these times, just held him, gave him comfort. He was a happy Kid, he got really happy, becoming a teenager, never got to drive, I was at the Philly Auto Show with him, when he was 12, he liked cars, he dreamed. He dreamed like an artist dreams, you see in his paintings, a time line of his life, a window of his world. His time was over, when a fungus attacked his liver. He was a brave Kid, he knew. I think there is a special place in heaven for the people who are stricken with cancer, I think the people who care for these people end up in the same place,a chance to renew old friendships and family ties.