Holding on for Dear Life

At the age of twenty-four, a young man has his entire life to look forward to and a future to plan. That is until he hears these words from a doctor: aYou have acute myelogenous leukemia.a His world as he knew it is turned upside down and inside out as he struggles for survival. All plans of furthering his education, getting married and enjoying life are replaced with fear, anger and not knowing if he will be alive to see the sunrise each day. What can a mother respond with when her child sobs, aMom, I donat want to die!a Where does the strength come from to manage keeping yourself together and instill a positive outlook and spirit when there are no friends or family close by and you feel anger yourself? There are no lies, only the fact that the end may come at any time. A four-year battle lies ahead, changing the lives of Chad and all who love him. How does a family deal with the physical, mental, financial and emotional turmoil of such a traumatic experience? Where does the hope and strength come from to deal with the anger that flares?