Kyle, we're here to serve you." Those words hit me like lightning. I didn't have cancer. I was "fine". It took me years to fully grasp the power of Jack's simple message, "Serve the caregiver". There was nothing fine about how I was doing. And if I was struggling, then how could I expect anyone in my family to thrive? Soon it was my turn to serve. First I found Justin, then Justin and I teamed up and found Dustin. One of the accomplishments I've proudest of is that the three of us remain connected and committed to Jack's over decade later.
Boats, beer, bikes, and Star Trek? Sounds like a hell of a party, right? What else would a Minnesotan with a wife and son do for fun on a Saturday night? I guess skiing and shoveling snow should be in there too. Jack's, to me, is about being the change I want to see in the world. That means helping people less familiar with the lake know where the shallows are so they don't .,bend their prop or sink. That means sharing a beer with a friend and talking about how the world just ain't right sometimes, and they get it. That means continuing to pedal that tandem bike when your partner is exhausted, and they aren't going to help you up that really steep hill. Live long and prosper.
Life after a cancer diagnosis can sometimes feel like walking through the snow, uphill both ways, and you don't even know which way you're going or how the journey is going to end. Meeting Kyle and Justin has changed my life. It gave me an opportunity to reflect on how hard it was to be the best husband and father I could be when, at times, I felt like I could barely keep my own head above water, and then do something about it. Now, with Jack's help, I have the ability to pay that forward. I can only hope that we can make the caregiving journey a little less difficult for the guys that come after us. To create a space where they can be themselves and not lose their identity to cancer.
