That is my favorite psalm, but it is difficult to rejoice or be glad on a day like this. Some people state that they would like people to be happy when they pass away. We are not sure if that is what Michael wanted because Michael was never the type of person who let on to others his wants. Even when he was told by the Make a Wish people that he could wish for anything he wanted, he said that he does not ever really want anything. That is the type of son I had.

Michael was born in Alabama on October 25th 1988 while Brigitte was in her Advanced Officer's course and I was stationed in El Paso for my course. I was there to witness my son being born and it was not an easy birth, but like all births, it was a miraculous one and only five days later, he boarded an airplane with his mother and sister and flew to El Paso. This began his life journey.

Michael was always a quiet and introspective child. Even at a very young age, my memories of him are of watching and learning. Most times it was when I was ranting at Cheryl for one thing or another, I would see him making mental notes like "OK, I know not to do that." He never blurted out things that he wanted or wanted to do. He would work his way around it. He would ask something like, "I wonder how long it would take to get to Yankee stadium from here?"

He loved his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, then his Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and finally, his stuffed gorillas especially Woo-woo. Woo-woo was with Michael every step of his journey through this illness and always at his side in the hospital. Woo-woo carried all the special medallions, religious symbols and rosary beads which Michael was sent. Woo-woo will continue to carry the religious gifts for Michael and will be buried with him today.

Michael was brilliant, especially at math and science. When he was in 5th grade, we asked that he be advanced to 7th grade honors math the following year. They said the district would have to give him a test and they wanted to give him a "pre-test" so he would not be too disappointed. After the pre-test they said forgetaboutit and just advanced him without the district test. Michael was getting high A's this past year in 9th grade honors math. Michael was always very organized. He would line up his toys and his blocks. He wanted to be an architect.

Michael was very considerate and I was so proud of him for that. This Memorial Day weekend his other at home nurse, Jean, was here for three days. At the end of the three days Jean came out of his room the last time and was tearing up. She said that when she told Michael she was leaving and would not be back for a week, Michael told her thank you even though he could barely move his lips. Once when Michael could only stand with assistance, I was helping him use the bathroom. When he had finished I flushed for him and we turned to leave as I wanted to get him sitting as soon as possible. Michael said wait and quickly turned back to the toilet where he awkwardly reached to put the seat down.

Michael was known in our family for his rare health ailments. He contracted scarlet fever on the first day of our vacation and spent the whole vacation separated from his aunt Louise who was pregnant! One time he came out of a soccer game when he was about 5 complaining that his legs hurt when he ran. Of course his father attributed this to laziness and demanded he continue to drive on through the pain. It was only when his mother had had enough that we finally took him in to the doctor only to find he had broken his pelvis falling from a tree two feet high! He played the next soccer game, by the way.

Our family's favorite Michael ailment occurred when he was about 2 and at his babysitter's house. We picked him up and found he had a rock stuck in his nose. The rock was so large that we had to take him to the doctor's office to have it removed. No anesthesia was needed, though his mother did ask for something for her! We were so upset at his babysitter that we asked her to be his Godmother when he was finally baptized. See Theresa Hoogeveen, with her husband Dale, were like a mother and father to Michael when he was small. They loved him and continued to do so throughout his life.

I say finally baptized because Michael was not baptized immediately after he was born. His faith journey was quite an interesting ride and one which he took his whole family on.

After Michael was born, the priests at Fort Bliss and Redstone Arsenal refused to baptize Michael unless both parents agreed to attend pre-baptismal classes at their church on Monday nights. Since we were stationed apart, we could not attend and they refused to baptize him. This began a drifting period for our family in our faith but as with any walk in the wilderness, we came out stronger on the other side.

While in Arizona, we finally attended church again, mostly because it was just down the street from our house. The homily was about baptizing your children and the consequences of not doing so immediately. Talk about speaking directly to you! I went to see this priest at the University of Arizona where I was told he taught. He was not in, so they directed me to another priest. I charged into his office and said, "You may not think much of me as a Catholic, but you are going to baptize my son and don't tell me why you can't. You tell me how we can.!" After he got up from underneath his desk, Father Michael began us on our family's return to the church using Michael's baptism as our first guidepost.

Michael was baptized when he was four. He was older, but it had a very profound effect on Michael and on all of us. Michael received his First Communion at Most Holy Trinity at West Point in the second grade with his parents as his First Communion group's teachers and his sister as his guide.

He very much wanted to be confirmed. It was not an easy decision and one that he did not take lightly. For being so young, Michael understood confirmation and the gravity of its grace. He chose St. Peregrine to be his confirmation name. In his words, he chose St Peregrine because "St Peregrine had cancer and Jesus cured him, just like I pray to be."

Michael remained close to God. He allowed God to help him during his difficult times. When asked during his television interview where he got his strength Michael quickly responded, "God". John Edelen told me that throughout this entire difficult time, Michael never showed fear. I believe that it was Michael's faith in Jesus that provided him with hope and comfort. Michael's faith provided our family with hope and comfort in the Lord and it was His grace that sustained us.

During this difficult time, I would hear songs and they would take on special meaning. One such song that sticks with me is by Diamond Rio called "One more day". The lyrics state that if the singer could wish for anything he would "simply wish for one more day with you." This had special meaning to me as I knew there would come a day when I would be wishing for another day with Michael. The song continues with another line that the singer would 'unplug the telephone and keep the TV off." See I would not do that because the one more day that I would wish for me and Michael would be a Sunday afternoon in the fall and we would be watching football.

Michael loved sports and especially football. I remember once when he was about 5 and Michael and I were home alone. We had turned on a Thursday night college game and it was Rice versus SMU. I turned the channel and Michael said, "what are you doing?" I said that I was uninterested in the game and that we could watch something else. After about a minute or two of sitting still, Michael asked if he could go upstairs. After about a half hour he came down to announce that the score was 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. We watched the rest of the game together.

Michael especially loved to play football and would at every opportunity. He fancied himself a quarterback and was really very good as he was big and strong with a very good arm. Unfortunately for him, he had the build of a lineman and it was there that he spent his time when he played tackle on his 7th grade team here at Monroe-Woodbury Middle School. His mother never got to see him play. When she told him she was sorry she had not, he said that it was OK and that he was really good. He was, but as was his nature, he was gentle. He would simply keep his man away from the play, mostly through intimidation. I told him I would give him 5 bucks if he knocked his man down. One time near the end of the play Michael lightly pushed his man over another kid who had fallen behind him. When his man fell, Michael looked up at me in the stands like, "So where's my 5 bucks"

It was a passion for football that we shared. I was a huge Miami Dolphins fan, and so Michael became a Dolphins fan. Michael would always check the games on each Sunday to see if the Dolphins were on in our area. We would prepare for the game and settle in to watch whenever we could. For me, it became less and less about the game and more about spending time with Michael. Just having him there and dancing around the room with him when the Dolphins scored was magical. Halftime meant chicken wings. As soon as the half was over, Michael and I would run out and throw some wings on the grill. We would spend that time talking about the game and other things and sharing our wings together. It became the highlight of my weekend. So yes, if I had one more day with Michael it would be a fall Sunday afternoon but if I only had a moment with my son, it would be halftime.

The one song which perfectly matched our emotions and thoughts was sent to us by a dear friend Cathy Williams who was so supportive during this entire time. This song was by Mark Schultz entitled, "He's My Son." I will not sing it for you, but I will try to read some of the lyrics. It starts:

I'm down on my knees again tonight

I'm hoping this prayer will turnout right

See there is a boy that needs your help

I've done all that I can do myself

His mother is tired

I'm sure you can understand

Each night as he sleeps

She goes in to hold his hand

And she tries not to cry

As the tears fill her eyes

Can you hear me?

Am I getting through tonight?

Can you see him?

Can you make him feel all right?

If you can hear me

Let me take his place somehow

See, he's not just anyone

He's my son

From this, you might think that God did not hear our prayers about Michael, but that is far from the truth. A wonderful book which was sent to us by another great friend is entitled "When Bad things Happen to good people". There is a line in this book which reads, "God's language is people." This is the way God answered our prayers, he sent us people.

He sent us people like Dr. Yasmin Khakoo who was his primary Pediatric Oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering. She was a gifted doctor who did all she could for Michael. She not only provided medical treatment, but tremendous emotional support for us. When Michael was having difficulty, I would call Dr. Khakoo (often at home) and she would provide us with a boost of confidence and support when we really needed it. She will always be a special part of us.

There were many other doctors, too. Mark Souidane and his gifted hands removed a significant amount of the tumor and extended Michael's life greatly. Dr. Bert in the Pediatric ICU at NY Presbyterian Cornell was a source of strength there. There was also Dr. Howell, Dr. Gururangan, Dr. Patterson and Dr. McGlaughlin his primary care providers at Keller Army hospital at West Point, Dr. Sharaf and Dr. Rasche the Keller hospital emergency room doctors. Dr. Fellows the Radiology doctor at Keller. Dr. Fletcher, Dr. Eckland and many others.

There were so many nurses, also. Cathy Betker, his primary at home nurse was so good to Michael. All of the nurses loved Michel because he was such a great patient. He never complained about anything they had to do. Once a nurse apologized because she had to stick Michael more than once to draw blood because his veins were so small from all the steroids. Michael never flinched and afterward he turned to me and said, "After all I have been through, sticking me with needles is nothing." Some of the other nurses were Mary, Jean, Grace, Jennifer, Kate, Verelin, Tammy, Jackie, Joan, Margaret, Shannon, Connie, Donna, Mary Ann, Marie, and the list goes on and on.

We could not have made it through this were it not for our incredible support structure. I said many times that I wondered why I stuck with the Army all this time and moved around. I found out a little about God's plan when Michael became ill. We had made so many friends throughout our travels and they all came to the fore in our time of need. I can never mention all of them and will not try to here. I would like to thank our daughter Cheryl for being so strong and supportive throughout all of this. She allowed us diversions with her volleyball and basketball. She did not force diversions for asking her to do her homework. She showed a maturity well beyond her years and a strength rarely seen in teenagers. I thank God so often that I had such a wonderful daughter through all this. She is so special to us.

They say that the Lord does not give you more than you can handle, but I am often lazy and forgetful. Throughout this time I was lost and knew I was not strong enough to make it through. For this reason, God sent me and angel 19 years ago and forced her to put up with me and never leave me. I could not have made it through this without Brigitte leading our family along. The hardest phone call I have ever made was when I called her in Korea to tell her that her son had a brain tumor and that she had to come home. I am so blessed that she is still with me.

Michael touched so many people with is kindness, unselfishness, and unending faith. There were so many people who contacted me and said that they were praying for Michael. Many who said that they had never prayed before or had not for so long. Michael brought so many to God's door and opened it for them. His strength was the most remarkable thing to me. I saw Michael cry only twice throughout his illness. Once when I told him and only because I was crying and once when we were told after his first chemo treatment that the tumor was growing again.

He could have had the world given to him by so many people. Instead, he chose to consolidate people's generosity in hopes of finding a cure. Last year, when we were raising money for the Cassidy and Pinkard run/walk and the Brian Tumor society, I wanted to make sure that this was Michael's cause and not mine. I asked him. Michael was never very adamant about anything, except this time. He turned to me and very seriously said, "this is something that is very important to me and I am the one who wants to do it. You only helped me chose the run to participate in." We have established a foundation to help continue his efforts. You probably have heard about it, but for those who haven't it is the Friends4Michael Foundation. I hope that you can contribute so we can get this going strong at the start. I know we have just asked you all for donations recently. You can wait and contribute later, but please contribute.

We have been blessed in so many ways. Some parents lose their children in accidents and cannot ever say good-bye. We got to spend 14 months with Michael. We kissed and hugged him every day. We supported him and he supported us. The day before Michael's first surgery, he and I flew to Washington, DC, walked around Walter Reed going from appointment to appointment and finally were walking back to the hotel there. Michael turned to me and said, "Daddy, thanks for going through this with me." We had held hands the entire day and hugged often. How many fathers get to do that with their 13 year old sons? I kissed and held him everyday for 14 months.

Today we will carry forward the memories gained from living with one of God's best people for 14 years. Today we will live with the support of hundreds of friends and family members who have carried us through all of this. Today we will love one another more because Michael brought us so together. Today we go forward with the knowledge that Michael is in heaven with our God and Jesus is providing him with comfort. Because today is the day the Lord has made and in spite of our heavy hearts, we are armed with the many blessings from our son Michael and it is in those blessings that we will rejoice and be glad.