What is the measure of a man? What is it that he calls upon down deep inside when desperate times come? Heroes are sometimes found in shooting wars and sometimes in wars of another kind.

For the past year my granddaughter Sierra, has fought cancer. January brought news that she was suffering from osteo sarcoma in her right knee. This is a tumor attached to the bone. Chemo, titanium inplant, more chemo, cancer recurrence in the calf of her leg, amputation of the right leg above the knee, another surgery for recurrence in a lung and now extended treatment with a new protocol to improve her immune system is a summary of her year with terror, seven operations and numerous biopsies!

It’s 2009 and she’s back in school, looking forward to getting a prosthesis on what she now affectionately calls her “little leg”. We’ve been in three hospitals as well as a consultation in another. We have met many “battle buddies” along the way, and what a blessing that has been. We have seen grace and courage in people thrown almost overnight into a nightmare they could never have imagined, a nightmare not to be awakened from, but one awakened into, over and over and over.

Cancer is a thief, a robber of time, money and most of all, normalcy. Normal is good. Boring is good. But in the wild and terrifying roller coaster ride where Mr. Cancer takes away a person’s buttons and bows, there stands another MAN. He’s the guy that stays the course, doesn’t run from the unthinkable and remains true to what he vowed, “in sickness and in health.” He’s the man holding his wife up when she’s almost beaten, cancer tired. He’s the dad that holds his wife up when their baby is sick unto death. He’s the hero of Cancerland and somewhere they’re making his medal of honor, his badge of courage. These men are described, I hope, in a poem I wrote some time ago and is in my book, ” POEMS BY LOU DAVID ALLEN”

My Prince Charming
Is not the richest,
Nor the smartest,
Nor the most handsome,
But when I’m sixty three
He will still love me
And put a diamond on my hand.
And should our babies be
Sick, even unto death,
He will pray God takes him
And not them.
That’s who my Prince Charming is.

Guest author David Allen has a B.S. degree in Physics and an MBA.  He has been an elder in the church, engineer, teacher, junior college administrator, mayor and a salesman.  For more information about his book of poerty contact David at dallen@camalott.com