This is an excerpt from a letter written by Pat in May of 1994.
It's entitled:
Pat's Rendition of the Tortoise and the Hare
"So far in my life it, my disease, and me have been in a race. I have been the Rabbit and it has been the Turtle, and I've been running way ahead and then laying around until it just about catches up - then I'd run way ahead and wait for him to catch up, then run way ahead again and every time he just about got in sight I'd stand there making faces at him and laughing thinking its real funny and him all calm and mellow just clipping along at a steady pace.
Well I guess I fell asleep under a shade tree one day, and he got way, way ahead, because you know how I like to sleep, and I didn't realize he was so far ahead and now I'm so use to running and then taking a break that I think that's the only way I know how to race and every time I take a break he gets that much further ahead. It makes me mad because he doesn't stand up the road laughing and making faces - - he just keeps going at his slow steady pace. I with he would stop and make those faces because that would give me a chance to catch up a little bit, but he won't and that makes this rabbit mad because I thought I'd never lose the race, that's why I took all those breaks.
Now there's no time for breaks and its all that I can do to keep him in sight, and now there's no breaks, and the rabbit gets tireder and tireder, and now the rabbit doesn't think about winning anymore he's consoled himself with just keeping the turtle in sight and just finishing the race.
I think that says it all. That's what it's like when you have a terminal disease, you never think about it much until you get behind."
Author: Patrick A. Dougherty, "Brother"
8/23/67-6/7/94
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