Locks of Love

It was no smoking day last Wednesday. I was going to post something, but I was busy, so here it goes:

I don't think I'm fully recovered from the fact that I lost my grandfather to cancer almost 8 years ago. He used to smoke a lot for years until they diagnosed him with long cancer almost 20 years ago. After quitting smoking and having a surgery to remove part of his cancerous lungs, he was on remission for years. That was until about end March 1997 when they diagnosed him once again with cancer, that time it was bone cancer which was soon metastases toward his brain and eventually ended his life mid June 1997.

The last time I tried talking to my grandfather while he was coming in and out of coma, he was coughing so hard and sounded so painful. Until now I can still hear the sound of his cough on his death bed in the back of my mind. It was one of the most excruciating moments in my short life. A defining moment. I guess that's why I nag those who are smoking to quit their bad habit. I don't want to be in that situation again.

On the lighter side, as cancer was so close to home, last year I decided to grow my hair and am going to donate it to the Locks of Love. It's a US non-profit organization that provides hairpieces to financially disadvantaged children who are suffering from long-term medical hair loss, such as cancer. As you know, having a hairpiece in that situation can help booster one self-esteem & confidence.

I would like to urge you guys to either quit smoking, or help out cancer patients (and their love ones) in any way you possibly can, or better yet: do BOTH. For that, I thank you.