Forgive me for being out of touch. When I last wrote to you on May 30, I revealed my challenges with my husband cancer diagnosis. Unfortunately, he passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on June 18.  

We had assumed that even though he had terminal cancer that we would have some warning before he died.  It may be an assumption that we have every day, believing that we have time to do what's important (having loving conversations, getting affairs in order, fulfilling our bucket lists, etc.), but in reality we could leave this world in one heartbeat as Darren did. 
 

How will you live at this moment? 

More than 300 people attended my husband's funeral and hundreds more have supported me over the past weeks.  What we remember most was how brave and positive he was through his illness of 21 months.  He said that he understood what 1939 Yankee baseball player, Louis Gehrig said over a year after being diagnosed with ALS, "Today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth."  Both Lou and Darren felt that they had lived their lives to the fullest despite their "bad break" as Lou called it. 

Understandably people have various reactions to being diagnosed with a terminal illness. I teach that the situation plus your reaction will equal the outcome.  Darren could not change the situation, but he proved that being positive and kind to those caring for him made all the difference in how he lived his last days and how others remembered his courage and optimism through a difficult and painful time.

What will people remember about you? 

I'd love to hear how you have overcome adversity in your life to inspire me and others when life is challenging.