It's in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
Pat me on the back for having a nice topical and timely photo to share here. The best part of the photo is that my late mom is in it! So I can remind y'all about Martha and all she represented: her dedication to UMN-Morris and her rich church life among other things. Sons of Norway! The RV club!
Mom described herself as a "tough Swede." She meant it. The toughness contributed to her living to within one month of her 94th birthday. This despite saying "no" for a long time to getting a mammogram. I felt I had to act on that when I saw her one day clutching at the area just under her shoulder and showing an expression of pain.
Surgery removed a good part of the problem but could not get everything. Prior to the surgery I was put in a room with the door closed so I could not consult on anything. The surgery appeared to give Mom a pretty lengthy reprieve. Eventually there was evidence that cancer had entered her bones. The doctor said, as he pointed to a couple bold face numbers on a printout: "we could do another test but you might not want to know."
Living to (almost) 94 despite the presence of cancer. "A tough Swede" indeed.
Right now yours truly is dealing with cancer myself. Maybe you have heard, maybe not. News gets around fast in a small town. I had my fourth chemo session today (Thursday). On Monday I start radiation in Alexandria. We're giving it hell. I am trying to prepare myself for all eventualities.
My grandfather on my father's side, the estimable Martin Williams of Glenwood, died of stomach cancer in 1933. He died well before his time. Most likely he had spent too much time around dangerous substances in his work.
My dear aunt Mildred out in Oregon died from esophageal cancer. At the end she could only get down some ice shavings.
I ate a full breakfast from the SCMC kitchen today. On the day after my first endoscopy, I could not swallow a single morsel. I have been set up with a tube-feeding system. It's on right now as I write this. Being able to eat normally (within proper oversight) brings satisfaction that can hardly be described in words.
Maybe in the end all the treatments will be like what surgery did for my mom: provide a window of time in which I can experience normal life again. I will thank the good Lord for each and every day within that window, I assure you. Long term it is hard to predict with any precision, as I'm sure you know. We have all heard of cancer going into "remission." It's on the corner of my mind. Right now we're trying to bombard the hell out of the cancer that's present.
The photo you see at top here is "timely" because of the recent tragic death of Dolly Parton. Mom had the photo taken by a bus mate for her Smokey Mountains tour with a tour company. We used both Utopia and Riley's. Her last tour ended two weeks before 9/11. That was a Riley's tour.
My family was not attracted to country music. But of course Dolly became mainstream in so many ways. My opinion of her rises as I pore over biographical material. What a gem of a human being!
And Mom came back from her tour very pleased with "Dollywood." She learned a lot about Dolly there too. RIP Dolly Parton. RIP Martha Williams. (I wish Mom was around to appreciate the talents of Caitlin Clark!)
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - musicstuff54@gmail.com
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