Knight Strong

This is my brother-in-law, Heath. Today is a year since he passed away. He lost a 10 month battle with cancer. He was only 42 years old. It was his second time battling cancer and it hit me pretty hard. The first time he was diagnosed, he was 24 years old. He battled with Hodgkin's Disease which is a form of lymphoma. He went through chemo and radiation and was finally put into remission. 

Every year when it was time for his scans and checkups you just knew. He was very anxious and was on edge. He always knew that it would come back. The doctors had told him that he had about 25 years. He made it to 17. His second round was adenocarcinoma of the stomach and it was stage IV.

He and my sister were best friends since they were 9 years old. My sister is 13 years older than me. So, basically Heath has been a part of my family longer than I have. That's what I try to tell people. He's not just my sister's husband. He's more like a brother, a best friend. I was always closer to him than I was to my sister. He was my person that I would call when I needed advice or I just needed that kick in the ass. He had no problem giving anyone a kick in the ass. 

No one could ever accuse Heath of being a hypocrite. He told you what he was thinking and didn't care whether you liked it or not. It was one of those things that you loved it when it was pointed at someone else because he was saying what everyone else was thinking, but the second it was directed at you then all of a sudden he was the biggest asshole you ever met. How do I know this? Well I was put in that position more than once. But you couldn't help but love him. He was so full of life and impacted so many people. He left behind a wife and 2 boys. My nephews were his world. He was such an amazing father. He did everything in his power to give them the world and to teach them everything they would need to know.

Exactly a week after he found out that his diagnosis was terminal he went to the funeral home and made all of his arrangements. He made his picture slideshow for the funeral and every other arrangement that you could think of. He didn't want my sister to have to deal with all of that later on, so he did it for her. I could sit here all day and tell you what an amazing man he was.

Heath, I miss you more than you could possibly begin to understand. I don't know why God decided that he needed you more than we did, but I know he gain one amazing angel. 

Ecclesiastes 7:3
Sorrow is better than laughter, for by a sad countenance the heart is made better.

Matthew 5:4
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

Revelation 21:4
He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

LYLAB Always.
#KnightStrong