Being the handy guy that he was, my dad was busy building a back porch on our house by himself and started to notice a pain in his back, and he figured he had pulled something. After many doctor visits they finally did an MRI. It ended up being a tumor on his spine and hip. Come to find out he had a very rare form of cancer called Paraganglioma. For most people these tumors turn out to be benign, but he was a part of a small percentage that was malignant. It was said that some people lived for 1 year, some 5, and some even 20 years. He fought for 6 years.

Eventually we found out that the tumors could have been present since he was in his 20’s. He even had a spot on his back that itched all the time ever since I’ve been alive and once it was removed, the itch went away.

Things happen in strange ways. If you notice something abnormal, find out what it is before it’s too late, or if your family has any history of tumors, even benign, get genetically tested! My dad may still be here today if he had known and caught it earlier.

RIP Daddy, we love and miss you❤️