Bobby was born January 2, 1975. He was my first child and I can honestly say that he was exactly what I had imagined my son to be as far back as when I was in high school. Growing up, he was the perfect big brother to my second child Vicki. Bobby loved sports and was a very good athlete.

After graduating from High School, he and his Cousin Denny joined the National Guard. The two of them went off to Ft. Benning, Georgia where they went through Basic training, Infantry school and then Jump school. After returning home, they served with the 425. The 425 is a Michigan Airborne National Guard unit based in Pontiac.

It was in 1998, when Bobby was 23 years old that he was experiencing a severe pain in the middle of his back. What Bobby suspected to be a pulled muscle turned out to be a tumor. Bobby was a real trooper with a positive mental attitude. He wanted to be a police officer and while he was going through the typical barrage of treatments at the University of Michigan Hospital, he was attending college. He acquired his degree in Law Enforcement and applied to and was accepted at the Macomb County Police Academy. Bobby was on top of the world. His leukemia was in remission, he had his uniforms and had purchased a new pistol for the academy. As Bobby put it, “I paid my dues, now I am ready to get on with my life”. Well it wasn’t to be. He was experiencing pain in his hips and just one week before he was to start the Police Academy he was informed by his Doctors that he could not go. He needed to have major surgery on both of his hips. His hip joints had deteriorated due to the steroids in his Chemo therapy treatments. Another blow to Bobby but he accepted it and said “lets get it over with. I’ll go to the Academy next year”.

Bobby went into the hospital and had the first hip taken care of. It was a six hour surgery that involved two surgical teams. Six weeks later he was back in the hospital to have the other hip done. Now wheel chair bound, he was marking time until he could start physical therapy for his hips. That day came on a beautiful summer day when he was able to get himself into an outdoor pool to get some exercise. He could not do much but he loved every minute of it. He was on top of the world and ready to get on with his life. Or so he thought. The very next day he was notified that his leukemia had come back. Slammed again, he was angry, frustrated, scared and back in the hospital again for more Chemo therapy, shots, blood draws, radiation, Cat scans, MRI’s and spinal taps. He took everything the Doctors hit him with like the trooper he was. He still planned on being a police officer and he planned on getting married.

Six months before that dreaded day when Bobby’s nightmare began, he started dating a girl named Jodi. Bobby and Jodi had plans of their own. Jodi walked every step of the way with Bobby and his condition and was willing to wait for the day when they could get on with their lives.

The Doctors were running out of game plans. They called for a bone marrow transplant. Bobby accepted it and said “let’s get it over with”. The search started for a bone marrow donor. Somebody who was a perfect match to Bobby and as fate would have it, it turned out to be Denny. Denny and Bobby were more than cousins. They were like brothers. Denny was six months older than Bobby and they did everything together. After they went into the National Guard, they even lived together for a while. So when we found out Denny would be the bone marrow donor for Bobby it looked like a miracle was in the works. But it wasn’t to be. Bobby had the transplant in August of 2001. We were hopeful but Bobby starting experiencing side effects from Host Graph disease. His skin began to tighten up as though it was shrinking. Then he had to have his tear ducts removed. After that he had no way to lubricate his eyes. Yet he put up with the discomfort day after day for over a year, still trying to be positive. Waiting to be cured so he could get on with his life. But it wasn’t to be. Just before Christmas of 2002, he came down with pneumonia and ended up in the hospital once more. He was put on a breathing machine and sedated. He never saw Christmas that year. Nor did he see New Years. He never saw his 28th birthday come and go. His last one. Bobby passed away on January 16, 2003.

What Bobby did not know was that the results from some test that were taken the week before he came down with pneumonia showed he had relapsed again. It was back and as one of the Doctors said “with vengeance”. One saving grace is that we did not have to tell Bobby that his leukemia was back and the Doctors were out of game plans. As far as Bobby knew when he was being sedated, it was about pneumonia. He expected to recover and get on with his life. But it just wasn’t meant to be.