It is amazing how much one diagnosis can change your perspective on life.

I am from the generation that never saw anyone having to take a smoke break outside. Sadly, my Father is not from that generation.

Last month, I found out that after almost fifty years of my father smoking, he was diagnosed with stage 3 small cell lung cancer. Everyone saw the warning signs coming, except for my Dad.

He would always say "My Grandfather smoked until he was 101...and he was perfectly healthy!". And, maybe that was true for him. But for my Dad, genetics have not worked out the same. And as a result, my entire world has been rocked.

In retrospect, my halfhearted attempts to get him to stop should have been wholehearted.

In some regards, I guess we all just want the people close to us to be happy. Which is why I cannot be really that upset that this all happened.

I guess...I just wish I could have been a better influence. I've not posted here for a while because I've thought that nothing I could have said was as authentic as the wishes I had that my Dad never ended up this way. I am slowly realizing that I never could have had control of that, and all I can do at this point is just provide all the support I can as a caring son in this situation.