The person I loved didn't get to battle his cancer. My dad, Thomas Pitts, lost his life to it on April 18, 2011. He never drank or smoked, never took drugs (wouldn't even take aspirin), he ate well, and exercised right up until he got sick. He died three days short of turning 71, he was never sick the entire time I was growing up and lived at home. He began having back pain and lost some weight, (which we thought was due to his teeth being really bad, making it difficult for him to eat certain things), we then thought he had a severe kidney infection, three hours after arriving at the emergency room we were told my dad was full of cancer. It was in his lungs, spine, skull, liver, kidneys, etc. He lasted two months and two days from the date of diagnosis. I wish he'd had more time and "a battle," so we'd maybe have had him longer. But I am also glad that he didn't suffer long.

I want the men reading this to please go and get your regular checkups! My dad's oncologist told him "this is why we tell men to come in for regular check- ups, so we can catch things. If you don't come in, we can't find problems until they are too late." My dad was that type ... macho, never went to the doctor, thought he could "home remedy" everything and look where it got him -- dead. So please, please. men, get your checkups. You may just save your own life and save your family and friends a lot of pain in missing you.

-- Lisa Pitts, Kennewick