This is about an extraordinary man, Bryant Williams. Bryant has pancreatic cancer. The surgery to remove the tumor was unsuccessful. At that point the doctors told his wife, Marilyn, and their three sons that he had two to six months to live. When Marilyn asked him what he was going to do he said, �I�m going to do what I�ve always done, the best I can.� Because of Bryant�s job, they moved from Ohio to Richmond, Indiana. Marilyn had two kidney transplants at OSU before they moved to Indiana, and she insisted he see someone there for consultation and possible treatment. She called Dr. Ferguson, chief surgeon of renal transplant unit. Within an hour, she received a call advising her to contact Dr. David Benjamin at The James. Dr. Benjamin started Bryant on a very aggressive program including radiation in Indiana, and chemotherapy administered at The James. Cancer was not the only thing Bryant had in his life during this time. Marilyn had another heart attack, two strokes, and open-heart surgery and died. His mother also had a stroke and died. Bryant sold his home in Indiana, gave everything away and returned to Ohio to die. But, he didn�t die. In fact, it�s been three years since they diagnosed him. May 7, 1995 will be he anniversary of that dreadful day. He�s doing great. His cancer count is coming down. He travels all over the place. He baby-sits his grandchildren and he enjoys everything in life to the fullest! He says the cancer may get him, but he�s not gonna sit around and wait for it. It�s gonna have to catch him! Someone said cancer patients can�t really have a life. Well, Bryant has a life and a new wife! We celebrated our one-year anniversary last October. Since we�re very much aware of the uncertainty of life, we celebrate anniversaries every month too! I�m really grateful to Marilyn for having the spunk to call and get Bryant into The James when she was having such a hard time herself. I wonder if he�d still be here if he still had a doctor who kept telling him he wouldn�t live more than six months. We�re grateful to the staff for their upbeat attitudes, especially when they face this dreadful disease everyday. They are all to be commended and they certainly have our heartfelt thanks. People ask Bryant why he thinks he�s still alive. He laughingly tells them, �It�s Dr. Benjamin�s fault and the great people at The James.� Dr. Benjamin probably said it best, a lot of it has to do with attitude.
