Sunday, October 22, 2006

Mike Hauenstein

My blog has been dormant for too long. I have some posts in mind, but they are all overshadowed right now by the passing of our friend Mike Hauenstein at age 27. My wife Deb went to high school with his mother Debbie, and I've gotten to be good friends with his father Tom via our musical interests. Debbie and Tom are some of the most compassionate, giving people we know. Mike's cancer surfaced about 3 years ago - a rare form that produced numerous tumors throughout his body. Mike fought against it using any means they could find - chemo, radiation, diet, physical therapy. The doctor's initial prognosis was poor, and he did outlive their expectations due to his courage and the love and care of his family. The last couple of months had been rough, but things took an especially serious turn early this past week and Mike passed away early Friday morning.

All our love and tears go to Debbie andTom, Ann (his wife), Tyler (his son) and Sara (his sister). He left a huge legacy in his blog, entitled "My Fight to LiveStronger". It allowed people from all over the world to walk with him, share advice from firsthand experiences, and share prayers. The link will stay on my blog for a good while. We will miss him.