I am a very old friend of Dave's. From oh, say bathtubs and me with taped bows in my hair to hide the lack of it no doubt and to make me look like a girl! We share the same birthday month, though he is five days older (the stinker!). And though we have been out of touch for a long time, not one birthday of mine passed with out me thinking of Dave. Not one. When my Mutti (ma) told me the first words out of my mouth were "No way, not Dave!" Today, I found out he has brain cancer. My breath was literally taken away. I wanted to do something, anything to show him I am out here thinking of him and fighting with him. I tried to start a page at Caring Bridge.com and I worked at it for a long time...but I do not understand HTML and I only ended up frustrated because I could not post what I wrote. As I sat thinking about the struggles he might face, I seemed to digress to the guy I knew when we were in HS.
How I used to freeze my tail off while he worked (in the frozen food section of Klarides')so we could chat...I must have driven him crazy with my motor mouth. But he was always ready to listen and never once made me feel like a pest. Every now and then I saw him play soccer. That is one demanding sport! I remember his beloved jeep! He paid for it himself. I always felt better when I was running past 'his" parking spot at the funeral home knowing that if I got lazy, I could pop in and chat. I never did, cause that would mean I wimped out!! He didn't know what a great motivator he was, haha. I used to miss him for those two weeks every summer while he did his Guard stuff. And everytime he came back he seemed smarter and more sure of the paths he had laid out for himself. His friendship, work ethic and life choices were always to be admired. Nobody was more grounded and more sure of himself at our age than he was. Swear it. I wished I could be just like him. Dave, Everything you did really helped me to make the right choices, if I never told you! Honest injun.
If there were only two people in the world and one had to get cancer, Dave would probably consider himself the winner, as he knows that it will be him to beat it into permanent submission by giving it everything and then some. I know this with all my heart. It is who Dave is.
Thru the grapevine in our town, I heard that Dave has just gotten back from tour of duty in Iraq and came back unscathed with all of his troops (Hoo-ah!! 1SG, you rock!) I found that on the 1048th website. (and his Mom confirmed that via email after I wrote this). Another friend, still serving found the name of his unit for me. I will confirm more details when I hear more, but he apparently fell out during PT and the rest is history. (updated>)That history is that the cancer is invasive. I don't know what type it is. I do know about glioblastomas, but there are many kinds. I know they got 95% of the tumor. His mom did say the Docs told her he had the body of a 20 yo and that is no surprise to me or anyone who knows him. His mental "self" is intact at this point- he is making jokes about his scar and worrying about his troops according to his Mom. (phew!)
I know that nobody will fight harder and so I wanted to make a place for friends and family of Dave to be able to show their love and support for him if they want to. I know, too that in the beginning everything seems insurmountable. To that I say- keep the faith and know that for every difficult step You all take, it is also another on the road to victory.
To Lisa and Jennifer and to any other Seyler kids there might be and brother Paul, nobody on earth will do cancer better than David Wendell Seyler, nobody!! Don' t forget that, and when that "down and woe-is-us" feeling comes to get you, take a deep breath and know Dave is not thinking that! I think I know that Dave would never say it out loud, anyway...more important things to think of and do....
And, Dave, It's with the military bearing that has never left me, that I give you the words of the famed Army Ranger Creed's second R. I want you to carry them in your heart, like I have done for 23 years since I learned them to use when I encountered any adversity. (I adapted them for you...)
Readily will you display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on (the cancer) objective and complete the mission, though you will be the lone survivor.
(Rangers Lead the way!) Just thought I 'd throw that in for good measure, haha!
I love you to pieces, my friend and I will be thinking of you. I don't sign my name... but you know it's me, the little one.