Hunter Loving: 8

Originally it started out as 4. Jeff, Jason, Marcus and Cody have been friends since high school. What was 4 became 5, 6, 7 and eventually 8. The core 8, but it started with 4. You know how in Sex in the City Carrie, Samantha, Miranda, and Charlotte are the loves of each others lives, well these 4 will never admit it but they are similar. Our adventures are usually their show and they just let us 4 ladies tag along. Sure us girls like to take over and run things our way, but it is still the 4. The point I am getting at, is I cannot imagine life without the 4. Yet, somehow that is a very real possibility. One of the 4 was just diagnosed with Grade IV Glioblastoma. It is an ugly sounding word for an ugly disease. This however is not Cody's first go around with the word cancer. Shortly before I met my husband Cody had brain surgery to remove a tumor. This one was Grade III. Even with surgery, chemo, and radiation he was given the life span of 3 to 5 years. He defied the odds and made it almost 10 with no recurring tumor. During the last 10 years, with clean scans every 6 months to a year a person almost forgot that there was a possibility the cancer would return. It probably was my own wishful thinking or delusional thinking as some would probably say. Yet here we are and it has returned. The first time Cody faced this down he was 24, not married, and no kids. Still wouldn't have made losing him any easier. This go around he is 34, married, with 3 precious little souls that call him daddy. Besides, Cody, Husband, and Daddy he is also a Fighter and will give his all to fight this diagnosis ever step of the way. The rest of us will be in his corner the entire time! If you so choose you can follow his and my beautiful friend Holli's story at codyandholli.blogspot.com. The are truly amazing people and my life is much better, enriched, whatever you want to call it with them in it. Plus, they are Sawyer's Godparents. They really are the family one would choose and I am so glad we choose each other, or at least I choose Marcus. Here is to hopefully many more years with my chosen family because if I know Cody he is going to give Cancer a big middle finger and defy his odds once again. In the end it really is all up to God and if his army needs another fighter in it, so if you feel so inclined could you add them into your prayer circle or if you don't pray just wish them some good vibes? We all choose to believe what we believe but I can't imagine it will hurt that what ever higher being one may believe in that he/she knows how much Cody means to us!

Marcus and Cody dancing at Cody's wedding.