Ed Gulley’s Tin Man was occupying the place of honor on the front law, but recent windstorms blew him down. His arms are both damaged and need welding, but we couldn’t bear to see him lying on the grass, so Maria lifted him up and we pounded his metal poles into the ground.
We raise him in honor of our friend Ed Gulley, who is dealing with brain tumors. People often say that someone is “battling” cancer, but that is not the term I would use for Ed. He doesn’t see it as a battle, but a matter of acceptance and openness.
It seems we militarize cancer when we cast it as a battle, it is much more complex than that.
When I ask Ed how he is, he says fine, and I know that is not true all the time, but in a way, I know what he means. It’s not a war, it’s a question of grace and acceptance, and Ed is accepting his cancer with grace, is the way I would put it.
We raise the Tin Man in honor of Ed, his creator. We are glad to see him on his feet again.
Yes, acceptance is definitely part of the cancer journey. Your body, your mind, your daily life, your relationships, and your future all change with that sudden and shocking diagnosis. For those of us who are in treatment……chemo, radiation, surgery…..we do feel like warriors; we are fighting a battle for our lives. It’s a hard road to walk for a considerable length of time with no absolute guarantee of success. We battle fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hair loss, neurological symptoms, and much more; we march to medical appointments over and over again, and often end up in emergency with severe symptoms. It IS a battle! It’s a war against something foreign that is taking over our bodies! We want MORE of this precious life and will do ANYTHING to fight for it.
I don’t feel that the word ‘battle’ means that’s it’s been militarized any more than your ‘Army of Good’ is. We are fighting the good fight too!
Thanks Hazel, nice message. I guess as a writer I weight words carefully, Ed doesn’t feel he is in a war and I hope I don’t either. So much of life is a struggle, but I dont’ see it as a battle, just an expression of ourselves…different folks, 🙂
Agreed. Ed has terminal cancer and is accepting it with grace. I just wanted to make the point that those of us with a chance of treatment and survival are bravely fighting the ‘beast’. We’ve accepted our diagnosis and are now warriors making every precious day count and fighting for more.
Thanks Hazel and good luck. Ed has made the point if the cancer was not so advanced he would have chosen treatment. It’s not for me to have an opinion on this, we each have to figure out what it best for us. I wish you recovery.