I just want to hug this women and her kids! I am a middle child of 5 children and could never imagine one of my parents passing so early in their families life. :( I wish them all my love and heart!

She was actually 21 when she had her first child with him. Their oldest child together was 10. The article said she had two children previously, age 15... Yes, she was 16 yrs old when she had her 1st kid with someone else. She took responsibility for her child at a young age- Who are we to judge?

Sending lots of love to the kids and the little baby who will never physically know her daddy.

Too bad you didn't read the story. They had two children together, prior to thier newborn daughter. He would have been 42 when they had their first child together. She would have been 21. Next time, prior to judgement, read the article in it entirety. Sounds like a man that took on other "boys" children and raised them as his own. An american hero in any eyes.

rockmebritney~ she had the older two children to a previous relationship. The oldest child she had to her husband who is now 10, she had when she was 21 and he was 42. Not that it really matters considering the situation at the present time. Sometimes we cannot control who we love.

@rockmebritney

It's better to just keep your mouth shut, rather than find something you just have to spew self-righteousness at. And then be wrong to boot. Really pathetic dude.

WOW, what a heart wrenching story!! Whitney Houston, not so much.

I agree Dano this is a much better story than just another dead crack head...

@ rockmebritney

They simply corrected you. I don't think anyone "freaked out."

Sounds to me that you were a little "freaked out" about having a baby at 16. :)

Have a nice day.

Britney, no one "freaked out" ... they just asked whether you actually read and, more importantly, understood the article. Apparently neither is true as your post showed.

Sick............

one bout for me too... I don't know why or what is the cause though. I am just glad I've been cleared for 2 years now.

Just went to the funeral of my mom's "cancer buddy" - she and my mom were diagnosed at the same time and went through treatments together. She was 34, had a 7 year old and a 3 year old. Her dying request was to not let her babies forget who she was and that she loved them. At the funeral everyone wrote a note about how they loved their her and what she meant to them, along with any pictures they had of them. Everything was going to be put together to make a book for the kids to have as they grew up so they could know their mom.

@#$ you, cancer.

Me...seven years ago...and I never call it remission...I call it cured...remission sounds like you're waiting for it to come back.

Cancer is only good for one thing...it helps you put perspective on your life, and makes you realize what you have is a gift to be cherished.

I wish this woman and her children great love and a great life. So glad the baby's father was able to see his baby before he died.

I haven't had cancer myself, but my family has been hit by it. There was no history of it in our large relation. I can't even think of anyone who had it. I'm in the middle of 11 siblings. About 8years ago, my oldest brother, then 60 years old, was diagnosed with cancer. He died about 8 months later. The next year, my oldest sister, then 63, was diagnosed and died about 9 months later. 3 years later my older sister, then 59, was diagnosed with colon cancer, was treated, and so far, so good.

I'm now 61, and hopefully the curse stops at #3. But cancer is a mean SOB. It doesn't discriminate. (All in our family had different types of cancer.)

Best of luck to all who are fighting to show this evil who's the boss.

I think it's important to note that he didn't die of cancer, he died from the chemotherapy. What ever happened to "first, do no harm" ?

lunatoo,

really?

My mom died from cancer in 2010, much too soon as well, and today, my city lost a wonderful man who I knew personally to pancreatic cancer. I HATE CANCER.

Lunatoo, first you have to realize that cancer isn't some invading thing. It is your body turning on itself. The meds that cure cancer aren't attacking a foreign body, they're poisoning you for your own good. Chemotherapy is basically a tap dance on the sharp edge of a knife between poisoning you enough to kill the cancer and poisoning you enough to kill you. It is an extremely fine line that unfortunately sometimes discovers that there is no way to kill the cancer without killing the patient. Cancer is just like that sometimes. I've had a four year old neice taken by a brainstem glioma that is 85% curable because the tumor was just in the worst possible place that couldn't be effectively treated, fully enclosed within the stem with no exposed surface to inject chemo meds. Targeted radiation and indirect chemo just pissed it off and it took her within eight months of initial diagnosis.

Sometimes, there is no way to really beat it.

I often think about exactly that - why does it seem that innocent children or others with such promise and potential - the accomplished and service-minded, the well-intentioned, the productive, the talented - - are the ones taken earlier than the rest of us? Here was someone who loved and was loved, who was likely a present father and productive member of society - now gone. How is society better off?

I am resigned to the conclusion that at least one person must have been meant to feel so touched and inspired, convicted by this family's story as to radically change his or her life's direction and, in doing so, will set in motion the events that, in turn, re-direct others, and so on.

Amazing where one person, one minute, one word, can take another and another and another, and ultimately affect the world.

I agree! It truly brought tears to my eyes when the article stated that Diane said he cried and looked very sad when he held their baby. To be blindsided with the news that you are going to die within a few days and quickly realize you will not be able to watch your new baby or other children grow up... Ahh, it makes me emotional, trying to imagine everything he was feeling in that moment. Such a beautiful, yet devastating time (not only for him, but his wife and other children, extended family, and friends). Still, it was wonderful that he did get to see and hold his new baby girl, and didn't have to die without ever "knowing" her. What a heart-wrenching story.

I'm so sorry for your loss. My dad's 5 yr anniversary of his passing is tomorrow. I'm also greatful for the 34 yrs I had with him but miss him every day.

April 2nd will mark 10 years since my dad died of pancreatic cancer. I was 16 when he died. I can't believe it's been 10 years already. I too am grateful for the time we did have together. We are not alone in our sadness.

April 24th will be 21 yrs since my mother died of breast cancer. She was diagnosed when I was 16 and died before I turned 21, there is not a day that goes by that I do not miss her, think of her, and wish she was here. It was just me and her in the end, dad left when she was diagnosed, and brothers and sisters all were married and had families. I wish this family well in the years to come, and I hope they have support from family and friends because without it it is rather lonely :( ! Prayers to your family.

Today marks the 10th year of the passing of my mom to lung cancer. Last year I also went through several chemo treatments as well as 33 radiation treatments. I am now cancer free and living everyday to the fullest. You never know what tomorrow will bring. Peace and prayers to this family.

A Valentine story: true love all the way around. I hope the family gets some time with only good breaks for awhile.

2nd that..

??? my dad is 72,and just finished a marathon in less than 4 hrs - can your young @$$ do that?

@WilliamJenkins,

I'm glad your world is so frickin perfect!! I don't know how old you are, but you will eat alot of your words before you pass,...

That's very nice of you to bring up such a stupid point.

Shows what kind of heart you have.

None of us know how much time we have left... it's stupid to think that after a certain age we should just curl up in a ball because we might not have enough time left to finish something we start. No one can ever know how things will play out...we just have to live life to the fullest while we're here!

William I understand what you are trying to say, BUT there was a woman who was diagnosed with cancer then 4 months later her 11 month old as well (neuroblastoma) 8 months after that her baby girl died from that caner. Cancer knows no bounds. Try a little compassion for these apparently kind, loving people who have suffered a major tragedy.

You consider 52 to be old? maybe 100 years ago.

But seriously, I'm in grad school right now, let me list the ages of the grad students in my department:

22, 23, 25, 26, 28, 28, 30, 35, 42, 43, 48

And those guys up in their 40's seem just as young and full of life as the ones in their 20's. Age is in your mind and how you choose to be.

What the hell are you talking about? Nobody can possibily know all of the side effects. Not only that would you not get possible life-saving meds 'just in case' when you know the sickness WILL kill you?

Sounds like you just like to sue. Your solution would mean nobody would ever get treated because treatments are not always successful.

You know, the day you are born, you begin dying. Happens to all of us. It's just the timing we try to control.

Not true as there are a lot of doctors that are out to give the most exspensive treatment as the ins. co. is usually flipping the bill. Most doctors are'nt good sam's, they are out to make a buck. It would be a differen't if the treatment was new and still being studied, and all side effects being recorded for patient disclosure.

If even 1 person has a specific side effect, it is listed for that particular drug...and what makes you think the doctor gets all the money from the insurance company based upon the treatment? there are hospital costs, the rest of the medical staff ( nurses, technicians, cleaning staff) the cost of medical equipement, all those need to be paid for as well...and guess what, being a doctor is a JOB, just like anything else, doctor's get paid for the work they do...no not every doctor is good at their job, or is necessarily a good person, but when a person gets cancer, depending on the type of cancer, alot of people will still die from it, as unfortunate as that is...

@tac, were in my post did I state the doc gets all the money?. Three years ago I had an 90 year old man turn across the highway right in front of me resulting in a nasty accident. The hospital put me through the tests and scans, and then a doc came in my room and told me I had a polup in my pancrease. When I told my regular doc of the finding he had me scaned again. Then, I had a meeting with surgons, and they recommended that I under go a biopsy to determine if it was cancerouse. They did indeed fail to tell me that if it was in a cancer state, and got scattered during the biopsy I would be toast. When I was a kid that did indeed happen to a man that attended the church I had to go to. Point being that should have been disclosed as a person has a better chance of survival for a while if the cancer stays contained to the pancrease and the surgery is preformed to remove it. In my case if it continues to grow they will still have to remove it or it will cut off artories and nerves (something to that effect anyway). Lucky for me the two scans I have had after the biopsy shows it's not currently growing.

um...the doctor told me the risks...but when he said I was dying, I went for it.

I was lucky...to have good doctors and nurses, to have a cancer that could be treated and cured, and to NOT have someone like you around me to make it worse.

Oh...as for my bill? What my insurance didn't cover my doctor did and continued to cover for a year...AND he lobbied for cheaper drugs...so try to know what you're talking about first hand (which I wouldn't wish even on you) before you say anything.

Wow. ok. first of all, yes - if even one person has anything that could be construed as a side effect - it is listed. (Eat too much fruit while trialing the drug? Get diarrhea from it? It gets listed because they can't be sure it was NOT the drug.) And the hospital/doctor does go over EVERY possible side effect, including death. Which is a possibility with any surgery. Often though, the possibility of maybe getting a side effect - and being treated for cancer (which in the case of colon cancer, is almost most definitely a death sentence) - the treatment is what you HAVE to try. Any small option of health is worth most risks.
Second - I don't know what kind of insurance you have, but I work with insurance companies every day. Most times to get them to even cover any part of any thing (surgery or otherwise) is a huge battle. If they do agree to cover any of it, often it is not a large percentage. I have worked for many doctors, and they always keep the patient's insurance in mind - knowing what the patient has to pay out of pocket for anything (even lab work!) and try to do what's best for the patient with what the patient can afford. Giving them options for what they need.
If you don't like your doctor, or feel they don't give you all the info you need - you have every right to find another.