My Son, My Father, My Hero

Book excerpt: My Son, My Father, My Hero is based on the journal that was kept by Larry A. Woodruffs parents from the beginning of his illness. During the first week of dealing with this horrible nightmare, they met another mother whose son had cancer. She gave them some tips on how to get the best care and choices for their son. She told them to keep a daily journal of his medicines and treatments and record how he reacted to them. When the doctors order a medical test, she told them to ask what they hoped to learn and what they would do differently after obtaining the results. And she told them to never forget that this was a teaching hospital and that the medical staff would do tests to learn different things concerning the illness. This book was written to help other parents and families with loved ones who have had not only cancer but also other diseases that put a family in dreadful distress. The disease affects not only the patient but also everyone who is in direct contact with him or her. In their case, cancer affected Larrys parents, brothers, wife, children, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and many friends. This is their story.