‘Cancer Just Chooses Whoever It Wants': My Brother’s Journey & St. Jude’s Impact
As we raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospital, I have a lot of memories running through my mind.
First and foremost is just how awful cancer is. It doesn't care who you are or how loved you are. Cancer just chooses whoever it wants.
Cancer chose my younger brother, John Bolta. And he beat it the first time. But not the second. He really had the best attitude throughout the entire journey. John knew that he was going to heaven. And even though he would have to leave his wife and young daughter behind, he was ready for heaven reassuring all of us that he would see us again in heaven. "Ya, bro. Even you," he would say to me.
Our family would spend countless hours in the waiting room getting to know the family members of others who had been stricken with cancer. That's when I discovered that oncology nurses are the closest things to angels that I've ever seen. It really takes a special kind of person to choose that line of work.
Many years ago I was able to visit Memphis and tour St. Jude and talk to some kids that were fighting cancer there. And also visit with parents. I was a big fan of this place before I ever visited there. And was an even bigger fan of it when I left.
And if you know how musically obsessed I am, then you know how excited I was to eat at the Wendy's on Elvis Presley Boulevard. But that's an article for a different day.
Thank for giving to St Jude. We and all the kids and their families greatly appreciate it.
Read About It: Cat Country in the fight against childhood cancer with St. Jude