March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness month. In 2016 we lost our “Captain” to this disease, therefore we take raising awareness and supporting research very personally.
For this reason, we would like to share one of Tom Pope Sr.’s rant about his sickness, or better yet, his sanity:
Tom honored during a Panthers game in 2016.
“I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I just don’t feel good, and I haven’t really felt good for years. The constant chemical warfare takes a toll on your body after some time. I have had Multiple Myeloma now for 6 years. I am fortunate to still be around, but I long for the days I could jump out of bed, go to the gym, then go to work, work all day, and then go somewhere at night.
I’m tired. It’s really a bit of a chronic fatigue, I guess. I get way more sleep than I’m used to, but then again, I guess the constant drug barrage tires me out. Some component of all this is psychological. I get through it easily enough, but I just miss my old “self”. I’m 65 and the clock is ticking.
I will continue to fight the fight, power through the tough days and try to hang on long enough for a cure—or at least a real breakthrough medication that can beat cancer at its own game.
I’m fortunate—my wife Terry is an excellent caregiver, with what seems like endless patience—and she has had battled breast cancer through this as well. My family is a great and super strong support system. I’ve got a great doctor and actually am in decent shape physically (high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes aside).
I love my old company Studio Displays Inc., and want it to continue to operate long after I’m gone. My kids Lori and Thomas are taking the reins and are pretty much running things these days. I still love the work……just can’t do the physical stuff I used to. I’m basically not worth much anymore, but I fool myself into thinking they can’t live without me. Like I said, I’m Tom-FOOLISH (pretty good pun!)
Well, I’ll go back to clipping coupons or whatever I need to do, but if anyone out there has cancer, a family member with cancer, etc. treat them as a whole human—not a “sick” person. I don’t want to be reminded all the time that I’m sick…….I’m sick and tired of being “sick and tired”. We all want to be healthy, so don’t squander your well being, and do something nice for a cancer patient or their caregiver—they will truly appreciate it.
This rant brought to you by Captain Chaos aka Tom Pope.”
At Studio Displays, we continue to support MMRF and participate in raising funds for the foundation. We invite our clients, vendors, and stakeholders to participate in our fight against cancer and wish to be able to keep Tom’s legacy alive.
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