T+171 Until we meet again, Brian!

BOX SCORE
Element	Current	Std. Range	Trend
Hemoglobin	12.5	13-17	v
Platelets	170	140-375	v
ANC	2540	1800-8300	v

  For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven:

 a time to be born, and a time to die; (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2)

I lost a brother last night. He wasn't a blood relative, but our history goes back to 1967, when we were a couple of green freshman at University of Oregon Dental School (UODS). Brian's family name was Crockwell, and since mine is Waugh, and since we were always seated alphabetically, we didn't get to know each other much at that time. 

Brian went to Grant High School at the same time that I was attending Madison High School. I knew him then by reputation, because he once held the Oregon School Activities Association record in the 100 yard dash.  When I mentioned decades later that I remembered that, he downplayed it and referred to it as his 15 minutes of fame. But to me, who went out for track and ran high hurdles, coming in last in my one and only race, it was a very big deal. When we wound up in the same dental class, it was like meeting a celebrity for me. 

Fast forward fifty five years from that first face to face meeting. I had been battling Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) for a year, and Brian was just diagnosed with AML. Another dental classmate heard about my battle and contacted me to let me know about Brian's. Tim asked if it would be OK to give Brian my contact information. 

Of course, it was all right. He called me later that day, and we had a long chat about what he was going through and what I had already been through. I learned that, like me, he is a follower of Jesus Christ, so we instantly had three things in common: our faith, our education, and our suffering. There are not a lot of people in my past with whom I have had so much in common. We chatted by phone and by email and text messages several times a week, and learned to appreciate each other's intellect and wit, hopes and fears. 

Eventually, we met along with our wives for lunch one day when we had both had appointments at the same building. Brian and his wife of 55 years, Rita, quickly became dear friends to me and Jill. Whenever Brian and I were feeling well at the same time, we would make a point of getting together for a meal. There is nothing like breaking bread together to seal the bond of friendship.

Another thing that bonded us was the fact that we were on the same chemotherapy regimen, even though I was under the care of Kaiser Permanente and he was  under the care of Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU). It is interesting to note, that UODS eventually became the OHSU School of Dentistry and is now located on the waterfront in downtown Portland. The building that Brian and I studied in is now a high rise parking lot up on Marquam Hill. If you follow this blog, you will know that I eventually ended up at OHSU for a bone marrow stem cell transplant. So, in a sense, we both came full circle in the years we knew each other. 

Unfortunately, due to some other medical problems, Brian didn't respond as well to the chemotherapy as I did, and consequently he never made it to the state of remission of his AML required for a transplant to be possible. That never stopped him from cheering me on and thanking the Lord for the progress that I was making, while he continued to struggle with declining blood counts and increasing transfusions, along with several admissions to the hospital and lots of bumps and cuts that he suffered from falls he had, when his once powerful body began to fail him. 

Jill and I are heartbroken that we didn't have more time to spend with this brave, humble, funny, sweet man and his adoring wife. We are mourning Brian's loss and grieving for Rita. Tim and his wife have been much closer to Brian and Rita over the years since dental school, and they assure us that Rita is a strong woman and will be able to endure her loss. They are looking after her as best they can. Nevertheless, this is a huge loss for everyone who knows the Crockwells. 

It sounds a bit hackneyed, but in our sorrow, we are deeply grateful that Brian will no longer suffer from the deterioration of his body, nor need another blood transfusion, nor be discouraged that he is not making progress toward healing. He and I discussed more than once the fact that we both were concerned about the possibility of leaving our wives behind. That was a powerful force for both of us in motivating us to press on when we wanted to quit. At the same time we were both secure in knowing that, through our faith in Christ, we would one day come home to our heavenly Father and be able to thank Him face to face for all the good times and all of the joy that walking with Him has brought us during our sojourn on earth. 

Please join Jill and me in remembering a tough man with a heart of gold and a rapier wit. And pray for Rita as she faces a future without him until she is able to join him in the heavenly places. 

So long, Brian! We love you, and we miss you, and though our time together was not long you will always be  my brother in our profession, my brother in suffering, and best of all, my brother in Christ for all of eternity. 

    A man of many companions may come to ruin, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24)