Man what a blow......

[carolina-rig-01]

Fellas I know I haven't been posting on here much lately. I've been dropping by but for the most part I haven't really been in the mood to post much. A little history about what is going on with a friend of mine.

When I started my new job a year ago, I quickly made several good friends. We do all sorts of stuff together outside of work and just about all of us hunt and fish so we have a lot in common. One of the good friends I quickly got close to is a guy named Doug Lujan, who is just an all around awesome guy. Doug is a big college sports fan (even if it is Chokelahoma) so we have a lot of common ground there. On top of that he is a die hard crappie fisherman, and is pretty dang good. He is a big gun guy, which is another thing we have in common. On top of all of that, he is just one of those guys who you meet and immediately feel like you've known for years. A great friend. Doug is a very talented fella when it comes to machining parts on a mill or lathe, I've known several guys with this trade over the years and Doug is the best I've ever seen. He is as sharp as a tack when it comes to common sense stuff and not too shabby in the book smarts category either. I tell you that, so I can tell you this:

A month or two back Doug started having problems with remembering things, everyday stuff that nobody should ever forget. 2 different times he came to work and got out of his truck and forgot to shut the drivers door. He came back to work from lunch and got a call from his wife who was complaining that he left the front door and garage door to their house standing wide open, and he didn't remember it. We all knew something was wrong but never dreamed what we were about to learn.

After a month of doctors running test after test and coming up empty and Doug still struggling to remember the most simple things (I joked with him that he could hide his own Easter eggs this year. We have a special friendship and ball busting is just part of it). One day at work I talked to Doug at 10:00 in the morning and invited him out to dinner with a few of us guys from work and our families, Doug talked like they would join us so I went to the break room for a break. When I came back we learned that Doug almost collapsed and had to be taken to see the doctor. They ordered a CT scan that afternoon. The scan showed that Doug had a brain tumor and was sent to Springfield that evening for surgery. Before they operated they wanted to run another MRI and see what they were up against. They discovered a second tumor that was more dangerous than the first one. They did surgery to remove the worst one within a few days and sent it off for a biopsy. When the news came back it rocked our world. Doug has terminal brain cancer. They said untreated he might have 4 months, if they treat it they talked like maybe a year. I've never known anyone who was told they had a terminal illness and I talk to Doug often but never seem to have enough words to make me feel like I'm much help to him. I promised him we would go fishing as soon as the weather warms up a bit. All of us at work agreed that whatever time he has left, we will make sure he has as much damn fun as he can........as long as he feels up to it. Doug and his family has been on my mind constantly of late and It's just a horrible situation.

One good thing to report though. After talking with a few people about what he is up against, Doug made the most important step he could. He accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and was babtized. I will do my best to keep you all up to date as Doug continues his battle, but I just wanted to let you know what was going on and why I haven't been on here much of late. Guys, hug your loved ones and leave nothing unsaid. None of us are promised tomorrow.