Dear Uncle Kim

My uncle Kim passed away suddenly the other day from cancer. We only knew of his being ill for a couple weeks. He was a good man, but yet I did not know him that well.

Unlike some of my other eastern uncles, Kim never tried to be the life of the party, but he was also not invisible. The one thing that he was, was proud.

He is the husband of my mother's youngest sister Pat, and the father to 2 great guys Andy and Scott. Andy is now a fairly high ranked officer in there local fire department, and Scott has made his career working in the software industry.

They now live in the Boston area, but for a while they lived in Cincinnati at a time when we lived near Detroit. Although we did not live half the country apart we didn't see much of them. Once they were back east it would be an even bigger deal to visit. I tend to think this was because my father rubbed people the wrong way.

My cousin Scott has been through so much these past few years. I cannot fathom what could be going through his mind this week. Scott is currently fighting his own battle with health issues. A few years ago RIGHT after he got married his kidneys started to fail him. He was put on a waiting list for a kidney, but it did not look too good. Of all the family members tested no one was a good candidate, except for one... his new wife. She gladly donated a kidney to Scott and life for them together took on even more meaning.

A year or so later they had a baby and things were looking really good. Then another bump in the road. He has developed some sort of blood cancer (I don't know the detailed other than what is relayed from my mother). This was threatening his kidney and his life. They found a treatment center somewhere in Arkansas and got him admitted.

Months later they thought they had it licked and he returned home to his family. It was a short lived victory as it returned. He was back in Arkansas when his dad came out for a visit and became ill right before Christmas. Kim had no early symptoms but then they fund cancer throughout his body.

The last time I saw Uncle kim was back in 1999, when I was in the Boston area for a conference. It only seems like a years or so. Although I didn't see them on a regular basis I really wanted to visit with them. They were my favorite extended relatives. At that time it had been probably close to 10 years since I had seen them. I really need to visit my relatives more.

He was always the nicest guy. When I was a little kid I remember he didn't treat me like a kid , which I really liked. He was always interested in what I had to say.

I love and miss you Uncle kim