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Wham! Bam! Kapow! Brother harnesses inner superhero to conquer cancer
Layla Ann Silver
Published 1:01 pm, Tuesday, November 19, 2013
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[b][url=http://www.top10replicawatches.com]watches[/url][/b] "Apples" was a soft light blue stuffed bunny rabbit, and back in the day, he was my brother's constant companion. Lee named him in honor of "Apple Jacks," a much longed-for (but strictly forbidden) sugary cereal advertised during Saturday morning cartoons. Though Mom was seemingly unconcerned about the potential emotional damage that might stem from our witnessing Roadrunner and Tweety Bird's weekly torturings of Coyote and Sylvester, she was not about to let our teeth rot in the process.
[b][url=http://www.top10replicawatches.com]high quality swiss replica watches[/url][/b] After Apples finally "retired to Miami Beach" (code for "disintegrated in the washing machine"), Lee was given a much-coveted GI Joe action figure, and he used his pint-sized soldier to wage war on my Barbies. More interested in my older brother's attention than the wellbeing of my dolls, I didn't care so much about an occasional casualty, but he crossed the line one day when his plastic warrior threw a grenade into Barbie's camper and caused the gruesome beheading of her innocent kid sister.
[b][url=http://www.top10replicawatches.com]replica watches[/url][/b] After the untimely death of Skipper, GI Joe mysteriously went MIA (code for "thrown in the trash"), and my parents prudently provided Lee with a decidedly less violent toy, a black plastic briefcase like the one Agent 86 carried on the popular spy show, "Get Smart."
[b][url=http://www.top10replicawatches.com]high quality swiss replica watches[/url][/b] I was thrilled when Lee (no doubt feeling guilty about the Great Barbie Debacle) appointed me to be Agent 99, his cute and clever sidekick, and we spent hours every day hunting down bad guys and giving updates to The Chief via our make-pretend "shoe phones" just like we'd seen on TV.
[b][url=http://www.top10replicawatches.com]replica watches[/url][/b] Overlapping Lee's obsession with "Get Smart," was his fascination with all things Batman. For his sixth birthday, our Grandma Hilda (unconcerned with being sued for copyright infringement) presented him with a child-size, hand-sewn exact replica of the Bat Cape, and every week (same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!) our parents (unconcerned with potential child molesters) would deposit us in the TV section of a major department store, and we'd watch the Caped Crusader protect the streets of Gotham City on a way-fancier-than-we-had-at-home RCA color console.
[b][url=http://www.top10replicawatches.com]high quality swiss replica watches[/url][/b] Once we became grownups, the toys and TV shows of our youth became the source of many fond memories and inside jokes. (We still refer to one another as "Agent 86" and "Agent 99," and occasionally blurt out "Holy #@$% Batman!" when faced with sticky situations.) However, I never pondered their significance until last January when Lee received the devastating news that the colon cancer that he had long since kicked had returned, this time taking up residence in a tough-to-reach spot on his liver.
In the long months to come, which included a tricky surgery and 12 rounds of hardcore chemo, Lee appeared to harness the powers of the heroes of our youth to take on the fight of his life.
While retaining his same sweet and cuddly inner nature (a la Apples), Lee exhibited the regimented toughness of GI Joe (throughout his treatment, he barely missed a workout), the cunning of a spy (whose mission it was to evade the villainous cancer cells), and overall Bat strength and courage required to fight on. Even during the toughest times, Lee handled his illness with grace and good humor. "I asked you not to tell me that!" he'd jokingly respond to news of any temporary medical setbacks, a signature Maxwell Smart retort.
Roughly three months have passed since Lee finished his last chemo treatment, and thankfully, his follow-up scan showed "no evidence of disease," the best possible outcome. And last weekend, Lee and his wife Lynn celebrated both his clean bill of health and the return of his long dormant-appetite with a trip to New Orleans, where (instead of bland hospital food) my brother feasted on spicy Jambalaya and sweet sugar-dusted beignets, and his cocktails were served in oversized glasses (instead of through an IV drip).
Like all of us, Lee will likely face additional challenges in the years to come. But there is no doubt in my mind that he will continue to conquer any adversity that comes his way. For along with his innate positivity and superhero resilience, he can always count on me, Agent 99, to be standing by, ready and willing to help save the day.
Layla Ann Silver (aka "Agent 99") is a freelance writer and the proud sister of Lee (aka "Agent 86"). She can be reached via Smartphone, Shoe phone, Bat phone, or at:
[email protected].
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