The kids were great, and they were both active in school and with their friends. I guess that's why it was such a surprise to me when it happened. I guess I first saw it when David stopped participating in the things he loved. He just kind of moped around a lot, and really was not interested in doing much else that watching television and playing video games.

"What's up, kiddo?" I asked him on a beautiful Saturday, when there were kids outside playing everywhere. "Why not head outside."

"Nah, I'm not into it," he told me as he returned to the video game he was playing. We had always had a great relationship, and I could tell that there was something going on. He finally fessed up to me that he had not been feeling well, and I immediately made an appointment with his doctor.

To say that I was shocked would be an understatement. David had terminal cancer, and it had been rapidly spreading throughout his body. The doctor gave him another year at most, but told me that it could be within a couple months. I was devastated.

Trying to remain positive and upbeat for David, we stopped for an ice cream on the way home. He was very upset over the prognosis, and I tried to cheer him up, but how do you cheer anybody up who was just told that they had less than a year to live?

Our family changed immediately, and David became the focus of everything. There were wonderful support groups, and aid groups that helped out with kids in similar situations. We even found a couple camps for kids with terminal cancer, and David made some new friends......(cont)