Exactly 4 years and 13 days ago i lost my father to cancer, its was a huge surprise because he was a healthy 47 years old that stood 6'5 250 and 8% body fat the day he was diagnosed... He died a year later at 115lbs....single father that had full custody of me since i was an infant (iwas 23) at the time... And partial custody of my brother(9 at the time)....dad and i were born and raised in the country, never wanting anything we didnt earn and living primarily off our own land...when i was in elementry i got home 3 hours before dad and was alone while doing chores...worst trouble i made was the occasional grass fire that i loved to start. Only been to the doctor for the shots that school required us to have..... Now we fast forward... Im 27 and have an immune system that superman would envy, no drugs and only trouble ive been in is the occasional bar fight from the younger years and a speeding record that is nothing short of impressive, i hunt and fish mostly by myself and clean and process my own animals ,train and condition pit bull dogs for the ADBA show ring where ive received awards for best conditioned Dogs and one of them has been one of the nations top ranked dogs for over a year,.... My brother on the otherhand is total opposite... Now 14 he constantly wants, curses, every time he sneezes he gets the flu, i have tried soooo hard to teach him the things dad taught me,tried to show him that if your willing to work for it you can have anything, but its gonna be hard work....not to envy others, and to lead not follow.... He just does what he wants anyhow (i bust his a##) his mom babies him....even my friends, none of them know how to clean an animal cause they call me to do it, dont respect nature by littering and stuff, i was hunting last year and put a friend on some hogs, instructed him to take a clean shot at a 150 pounder....he took an anus shot at a 350 pounder about a half mile in the woods and wanted to leave it.... we drug it out but OMG did it suck...point being
Now more than ever i realize ... How important it is not only to be a good male role model but to pass on the stuff we know to the next generation and inform them of how important it is that they pass it on.... Ive been taking a friends son with me....hes a little hellion and is full of viniger but seems to be picking it up and relaxing a little

Sorry to ramble, just somthing i was thinking while sitting in the stand freezing this a.m

Billy

Lost my dad in 1999 to liver cancer. He was the best Hunting and fishing buddy/and teacher that you could ever want. Still think of him every time I am out in the field.

I couldn't agree more. Good post.

I too lost my dad to cancer in '97. Miss him very much.

Sounds like you had a great Dad. Good job to you trying to teach your Brother

I lost my dad in Dec. '05 after a 7 year battle with prostate cancer. I know of which you speak.

Keep up on the effort with your brother. It will pay off in the long run.

I lost my dad this year on New Years day. He had just finished watching the Cowboys get the crap kicked out of them by the Giants. Right after the game was over apparently he suffered a massive heart attack and was gone. He was my hunting partner and I miss him this hunting season.

Stay on your brothers butt and he will eventually see the errors of his ways and hopefully walk the straight and narrow path. Sounds like you are doing a good jod already though.

It's amazing how many lives have been touched by cancer. There's NOTHING in this world I hate more than that God awful disease. I lost my dad 3 yrs ago, and my dog last yr, both to cancer. Like others have said, stay on your brother butt – be tough on him like your dad was tough on you. He’ll come around in time.. Good luck to you brother.

Thank the lord every day that I still have both my parents and a great family, but nothing makes me madder than the somethign for nothing mentality. If you dont work you get out.

I have a relatively small group of friends, but they are friends you can count on, if you cant then they arent a friend and Im not wasting time on them, the final group of guys I went to college with and stuck around with are like brothers now. We were all 4 the youngest of two boy families... not sure if that has anythign to do with it, but we always got along well.

I also agree on the medicine, I hate the doctor and generaly wont take much of anykind of a pill. You cut yourself well wrap it up in your shirt till it stops, itl get better.

matt

Hang in there Pitfallin...its a tough row to hoe for sure. I'm in your shoe too. Little more than 4 years ago I lost by my dad, best friend and hunting partner to cancer too. Keep working with your brother and hopefully he will come around. And, keep your own head up and know you are doing the right things.

My dad had cancer almost 30 years ago when i was a baby, and he was able to pull through and still be cancer free to this day only by the grace of God! I often think how different things would be if he wouldve lost his battle, and i pray for those of you whose family members werent as fortunate.

On a side note a good family friend and long time member of my church passed away of a heart attack in his 40's... was a wake up call for my dad, he has lost over 40 lbs since then and gotten up to date on all his doctor checkups, its is amazing what that and twin grandbabby boys will do to a man!

Cancer is a wierd thing ....he said he felt fine but went to pee and it was blood ...lol...he said he actully looked at the guy next to him and said "wow!! That cant be good" then as soon as that happened it was straight down hill.... Turns out it was an 8lb tumor and kidney cancer, said he probably had it for more than 10 years

"probably had it for more than 10 years"
Pittfallin, first I'm very sorry for your loss..but that statement should be a wake up call for all of us to get a yearly Physical w/ Blood work, not by NO means implying that would have caught it. Im 43 and started 2 years ago getting a full yearly physical with all the blood work due to history in my family, H*ll there arent any of us getting out of this alive but being Proactive we can head off or prolong some issues. again just lost both my parents within 3 years of each other and miss them dearly.

Awesome post and on point.

As far as your Brother, all you can do is make a effort. I am beginning to believe Family Members are like Bird Dogs..Some get it and some don't..the only diffrence is Dog Foods expensive and I will not Tolerate a Stupid Dog and I'm starting to get that way w/ Family

absolutely agree. Great post. It is what we pass on to our children that will keep the future possible.

Lost my Dad in 96 to Parkinson's, taught me everything I know about the outdoors. Miss and think about him every new hunting season, especially Dove as that's what he like most.

Pitt... Thanks for your post. My Dad is battling liver cancer as we speak. He to has been my life long hunting buddy and best friend. His prognosis doesn’t look good at all but I will never give up hope.
Your brother is 14 years old. And most 14 year old boys have a mind of their own. Stay your course and be firm with him. But at the same time give him a shoulder to lean on.
God bless you Pitt and your brother.

Stay the fight man. Even though it seems like your brother is not listening it will sink in one day. The more I talk with my 28 year old son the more I see he was listening some.

Glad you're passing on your hunting & fishing heritage And way to keep pressing on after losing your father as a young man. That must have taken a pretty deep drive.

And the most imporatant relationship we can have is with God, our heavenly Father. He passed down the most important legacy of all time through his own son, Jesus--unconditional love for a fallen world.

Thanks for sharing your story!

Lost my DAD in in 98 to lung cancer the best friend I will ever have. Kicked my but when I deserved it but was always there. He was honest, honorable, Never cussed in front of a woman, worked so hard and never took a handout!!!!!! And surprize he thought this was the greatest nation on earth and signed up the day after Pearl Harbor. He would never understand what this country did last november. I miss you REBEL