Fighting back for Snappy: a prayer request

Four months ago, Dick McEntee was diagnosed with cancer.

He and his wife, Kathy, were our mentor couple as Jonathan and I prepared for our marriage in 2007.  Giving us awesome, frank advice on getting married and staying married, but more importantly, giving us an incredible model to look to in their own marriage.  They didn't have to tell us how to live, they showed us.

And the best gift they gave the world?

Their six kids: Rich, Ann, Paul, Aileen, Kate and Noreen. 

Their daughter Kate was one of the few people who knew both Jonathan and me separately -- and gave us the 'you better meet ASAP' vote of confidence in each other before we'd met.

Kate's son, Daniel, and my son, Thomas, are BFFs -- best friends forever -- born just three weeks apart.

It was with shock that everyone faced Dick's diagnosis of lung cancer in February.

Since then he's been fighting day in and day out.

A few weeks ago, the family formed their first ever family team for the Relay For Life:  The Mighty McEntees.  United under their motto:  Cancer is crappy, let's fight it with Snappy!

Last week, Noreen posted the best Facebook updates EVER.  Giving the world a bit of education about Snappy and his impact on the world while pitching the team at the same time.  You will learn things -- both true random facts and significant life lessons -- below.  I laughed and laughed and laughed.

• Things I Have Learned From My Dad #1: Where were Salt & Vinegar potato chips first made? Tacoma, WA-- in my parent's kitchen. My dad loved having salt and vinegar on the table when my family lived in Canada and thought, that would make for great potato chips. Nalley's began producing them shortly after. Way to go, Dad! Please support Relay for Life so we get more life lessons, big and small, from my dad and all the other dads out there.
• Things I Have Learned From My Dad #2: What"s the deal with Grape Nuts? They're not grapes and they're not nuts, right? The "deal" is that they grains used are fermented with grape juice which makes them hard like nuts. It requires complex stirring. Something like that. My dad worked on that, too. I can't fully explain it. I'm not a scientist. Speaking of scientists, they need to find a cure for cancer and ways to prevent it and you can help by supporting Relay for Life.
• Things I Have Learned From My Dad #3: If you want to raise children with a strong sense of faith instill two things in them. A) Teach them that their faith is true and right. B) Teach them that their faith is joyful and not a burden. My parents never hid from us the human folly that happens in religion, but always instilled that there is something more true and more right in what's greater than us. And church, faith, justice, care for others, is not a punishment or burden. It is joyful and lucky to be people for other with a higher calling than ourselves. This faith is one of the reasons all us kids rally together for the Relay for Life and invite you to join the cause in honor of my wise and faithful dad who is fighting lung cancer:
• Things I Have Learned From My Dad #4: Why is Tang an orange powder? Well, the original formulation was an unflavored tablet that dissolved in water. It turned out that this system really looked and smelled a lot like a urine sample. Upon this realization in his own home (thanks, Mom!) he went to work and said how about we change this up a bit. And now it's a part of orange-y astronaut history... We love these stories of my Dad's genius so my family is walking to honor him at this year's Relay for Life:
• Things I Have Learned From My Dad #5: You can teach your children to be one another's best friends. Best friends who stick together:
• Things I Have Learned From My Dad #6: "And time weaves ribbons of memory to sweeten life when youth is through..." are some of the greatest lyrics on modern musical theatre. Love you, Dad. Let's beat this cancer and enjoy some more of those woven ribbons.

After an emotional weekend fighting cancer at the Relay, the Mighty McEntees were tired.  Kate wrote a beautiful post about life right now.  Dick had an appointment with his doc, only to be moved to the hospital.  He'll be there for several days.

He's being taken off Tarceva, the new treatment he'd begun.

He is not well.

And now more than ever, Dick and the Mighty McEntees need your prayers.

Please pray for grace and peace, for strength, and pray for a miracle, whether physical for Dick or emotional for the upcoming journey for their whole family. Pray for a safe journey for Noreen home from the east coast, and for their time together.