My parents lived with us for years and years - his decline was very slow. He had incredible stamina - it served him well when healthy, but in his decline it only served to prolong that slow downward spiral. It was so sad to watch - his life being taken from him in stages.

But he never stopped doing what he loved, even when it was a struggle - every morning, as soon as the soon rose, he was out in his garden, working under the warmth of the sun. (He loved the sun.) He had a large garden, and the vegetables he grew were amazingly delicious.

We all are, as the video states, mortal. As long as my father continued to do what he loved and contribute to the family (we didn't buy vegetables for years and years), he viewed it as defeating the cancer and not allowing it to take the life he had while he still had it. Each night, as he sat at the table in his room, recording his gardening note, he felt he had won that day.

I learned a lot from him simply by watching him live his life on his terms and not the cancers.

I hope when my time comes I will be able to follow in his footsteps.