Mike Update

I haven't really talked about Mike on here in a little while, so let's get caught up.

You might remember, he learned about a year ago that he had squamous cell carcinoma. The initial reports were a little cloudy; I couldn't tell if it was skin cancer or throat cancer. Unfortunately for Mike, it was skin cancer near his throat.

He's been fighting a good fight, not necessarily taking names but still beating this sickness like only a Cleveland tough guy could. He spent more than 30 years as a blue-collar laborer at the Lincoln Electric plant in Euclid. Surely a chemical or two from that place over such a long period of time is at least partly behind this.

Anyway, last week, Mom called to say a lump was now in Mike's upper leg. Of course they feared the worst and so did I when Mom told me about it.

But I'm here to report good news. Mike's lump is a hernia. I guess learning you have a hernia is hardly good news, but considering what else it could have been, you embrace the small victories.